Having Heart
by Kosaka
Summary: Squall Leonheart is the head of the R.G. Restoration Committee. Everyone depends on him, but he has no real connections, at least not until Demyx comes along and turns his world upside down. Can he open his heart to a man who wants one more than anything?
1. Chapter 1

_Well, okay. I got this started a lot earlier than planned. What can I say? I had one of those rare days when i was at work with absolutely NOTHING to do for HOURS on end. They don't come along that often, but aren't you glad when they do? Some of you may be wondering about the title of the chapter. (A)? It's because I only used the first chunk of the song for this chapter. The remainder of this song will appear in probably another two chapters or thereabouts._

_The song 'All You Wanted' is by Michelle Branch as are all the songs I'll be using for this fic. I'm saying so here so I don't have to repeat myself each chapter. The songs are by Michelle Branch. All of them. Got it? Good. I will be manipulating lyrics here and there to suit my needs. (for example, changing 'she' to 'he' and flip-flopping verses if needed. I think it's better to do this than try to force the story to fit the song in all cases. I don't write songfic much, so...yeah. 'nuff said. I just thought if you're gonna do a songfic, who better to do one for than our beloved little sitar player, right?_

_This story will most likely run for about 8-10 chapters. _

**_Warnings:_**_ Boy x Boy Love. Also only going to say this once. _

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairing: Leon x Demyx

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

**Having Heart  
**

**Chapter 1: All You Wanted (A)  
**

_I wanted to be like you  
I wanted everything  
So I tried to be like you  
And I got swept away_

Demyx didn't know why he was so nervous. It should be a relatively simple thing: just step around the corner and say, 'Hi! I'm Demyx and I think you're really interesting!' Except that that was extremely lame and he was feeling kind of like a big chicken, so he'd resorted to this almost-stalking. It was almost-stalking rather than the real thing because he never really _meant_ to follow Squall Leonheart around Radiant Garden all day just trying to get up the nerve to say hello, but somehow it kept happening. Luckily, Leon hadn't seemed to notice. _Yet._

Demyx raked his fingers through his blonde spikes and bit his lip, peering around the corner of the wall again. Leon was leaning to one side with his right hand on his hip and his head tilted slightly to the side in that way he had when he was listening to what the person talking said but not really buying word one of their excuses. It was Leon's 'i'm working really hard to be patient with you here' pose.

"...and so I...ah..."

Leon shifted his weight and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for what Yuffie's undoubtedly dramatic climax to her story about Scrooge McDuck's great ice cream heist was going to be even though they both knew it was basically a load of bull.

Yuffie decided, just this once to quit while she was kinda/sorta ahead apparently, and said, "...so I'm ah...just gonna...get to work on that wall, you know, down over there...way down...like...on the other side of town. You're gonna be working over here today, right? On the busted pipes?"

She sounded a little too hopeful for the man's liking so he just shook his head and bent back down to the work she'd distracted him from. She didn't hesitate in hurrying off. Leon didn't have any good materia anyway—which as far as she was concerned was very, _very_ inconsiderate of him.

Demyx dodged back behind the wall until she was gone and then peeked around the corner again. No matter how he looked at it, Leon was just...incredibly cool. He wasn't sure when that thought had stuck itself into his brain, but once it was there he couldn't get rid of it. It had started as just a teeny little almost crush, but somehow it had ballooned into this—spending day after day trailing after him and hoping he didn't notice until the blonde worked up the courage to approach him.

So far three weeks had passed and he hadn't managed it. At this rate, someone was definitely going to notice. He was determined though. Today would be the day. Definitely. Of course, he'd determined the same thing yesterday to no avail. The sitar player pouted. This had to end! Did people with hearts have this much trouble confessing too? Ooooh, there was no point getting into that now! Not at this stage! It wasn't like he was in love. A person without a heart couldn't fall in love, right? He wanted to have one, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. It was just...he couldn't get Leon off of his mind. He wanted to get to know him better, and maybe do things with him—like dates. And write songs for him, and maybe, you know, _other_ things.

He blushed at that thought. It hadn't always been like this. It was just that he'd thought that Leon was cool, you know? Suave, even—very much the opposite of himself and all his awkward clumsiness and habit of messing things up. Demyx had thought if he watched the brunette a little he could learn to emulate that cool persona...but in the end it turned out he didn't want to emulate it as much as he wanted to experience it, to get Leon to notice him, and talk to him and maybe even _like_ him. Then he'd started having these wholly inappropriate dreams and from that point on he was basically screwed.

Demyx wasn't stupid. He knew that entertaining such ideas was dangerous. He knew if anyone in the Organization found out he'd be in a whole heap of trouble, but that wasn't enough to stop him. And anyway, everyone was into their own private little things right now. No one really noticed when he was gone.

But anyway, back to the topic of Squall Leonheart. Whatever the reasons, Demyx had been watching him. Other than little breaks for sleep or food he found he'd gotten to know the man a little from a distance. He was surrounded by people but didn't seem to have any genuine attachments to any of them. He always seemed to hold something back. Radiant Garden was still kind of a mess and there was a lot of work to be done. Leon was the one who decided what was most important and everyone else seemed to just putter about until he gave them a job to do. He seemed a natural at it, but he was also the type to take on too much work himself—he'd rather do things on his own than ask for help, but when he needed it you'd better pull through if you didn't want to suffer him looking disappointed. Just watching him work made Demyx want to help…but Demyx wasn't very good at a lot of things and didn't want to get in the way either. It was the same with his little would-be confession. He wanted to approach the brunette, but at the same time he didn't want to bother him. He'd been so curious and so infatuated that he never realized before that Leon lacked something the others had. He couldn't put his finger on it at first. He'd thought the man was a loner, but that wasn't exactly it. The connection that forms between people, the strength of that bond…

Even in Organization XIII people had it. Demyx could see it in his comrades. But when it came to Squall Leonheart it just wasn't there.

_I didn't know that it was so cold  
And you needed someone  
to show you the way_

Demyx had somehow decided that he wanted to form that kind of connection with the brunette. But for that reason first impressions were all the more important. He didn't think of himself as much of a fighter. In fact, he kind of hated violence, but he'd spent a good week beating up on low level heartless to get some money so he could buy something nice to wear when they finally did meet. Now he wondered if Leon would hate the outfit he'd picked out. Well, it was too late to worry about that now. He adjusted the collar of his new baby-blue linen shirt and twittered a little nervously with anticipation. Leon had just leaned back and wiped his brow, moving to sit on a nearby stone ledge. Due to weeks of almost-stalking he knew this meant the brunette was about to take a break for lunch. He had to go now or he'd be stuck waiting until tomorrow due to that pressing urge to not be a bother to Leon. He didn't really seem to mind being a bother to anyone else.

He forced himself to round the corner (not as casually as he'd have liked) while Leon dug through his bag for his sandwich—a slightly squished ham and cheese on rye.

The blonde tripped, rather gracelessly, over his own two feet, face-planting on the sun-baked pavement. Leon stood, startled and edgy for an instant before determining no threat and put his food down to go over and help the blonde to his feet. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Demyx looked up, startled, taking in the situation. Leon was right in front of him…and he looked taller up close… He stood dazed a moment before feeling even stupider for it, blushing brightly as he realized the firm, warm grip on his arm was the brunette's as the man stared down at him questioningly. Demyx's face turned beet red and when he opened his mouth to speak a small squeaking noise was all that came out of his suddenly dry throat.

Leon blinked and let go, which was apparently the wrong thing to do if he'd wanted an answer because Demyx made a sputtering noise before covering his reddened face with his hands and making a run for it…

…only to plow head first into a poll. Leon winced slightly at the lard crunching noise as the blonde collided and fell to the floor again.

_So I took your hand and decided  
That when the time comes  
I'd take you away_

When Demyx regained consciousness it was too find Leon leaning over him, hair tumbling from behind his ear to frame firm features and cast shadows around smoke-colored eyes. He thought for a moment he was dreaming. After all, the man hovering over him like this couldn't happen in the real world, right? No chance. But he realized it was very much real when Leon frowned very slightly and brought up his right index finger to trail slowly from one side to the other. Demyx's eyes blinked, but then followed, and as memory sifted back all the embarrassing details, his cheeks reddened again.

Leon looked very mildly amused. "Well, you probably don't have a concussion," he said. _'But if you keep blushing like that you'll probably pass out again,' _the scarred male thought. Now, Leon could be a little oblivious about the more emotional side of life sometimes, but he wasn't an idiot. Even he could see that this guy—someone he was pretty sure he'd never seen before in his entire life—had a rather blatantly obvious crush. He didn't really plan to mention it. For one, he didn't even know this guy's name. And Secondly, who had the time for that sort of thing? He _was_ rather cute, but Leon had determined to just let it lay there now that it seemed the blonde hadn't injured himself too badly.

Demyx didn't give him the chance to brush it off though. He sat up too quickly and swayed a bit before making the sudden declaration. "I…!" Agh! It was so hard. Demyx grabbed his hand and looked up with such earnestness that Leon found himself feeling startled and somewhat uncertain as this strange young man declared, "I reallyreallyreally like you!" Ah! Crap! He hadn't meant to blurt it out like that. How embarrassingly lame! "So I…uh…" Demyx stuttered. "Sometime when you're not…you know…too busy…if it's not too much trouble…I thought maybe we…"

Leon sighed a little. He wasn't heartless. How could he flat out deny such an urgent confession? Damn. "Have you eaten yet?"

Demyx blinked at him as if he had three heads. Huh? What did food have to do with anything? "Ah…no?" He didn't sound sure about it, but he was just a little confused by the blatant non-sequitur and watched as Leon got up and moved back over to his bag, picking up the still uneaten sandwich and sitting back down, handing half over and leaning back against the nearby stone wall.

The blonde blushed again. Squished or no, Leon, _the Leon_, had just given him half of his lunch! He couldn't help a bright grin and instantly felt more relaxed from even that simple gesture. "My name is Demyx," he said very quietly before diving into the sandwich for something to do with his mouth other than sputter and babble. It was such a small thing, really—slightly over-warm ham and cheese that was half melted from sitting out in the sun on moderately crushed rye bread, but it meant so much to him.

"That's a unique name," Leon answered, idly picking off the crust and eating that first. He had no idea where he'd picked up such a strange habit, come to think of it. An extended silence, only slightly awkward passed before he said, "I'll be sure to remember it."

Demyx couldn't answer. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth an elated squeal might surface against his will. He finished off his sandwich as he watched Leon's strong fingers meticulously maul the remaining crust off of the remaining half, and the thoughtful way he chewed the crust—as if he didn't like the taste much but liked the idea of wasting food even less. "So…uhhmmm…" Demyx tried again. Leon had this way of being a little obtuse at times, like there were certain things he just wasn't comfortable expressing or didn't want people to know. It made him seem mysterious and aloof.

"I eat lunch at about 1:30 every day," Leon stated. "I guess today I was a little late." Pause. "Kind of your fault for running head first into a metal pole though."

Demyx was torn between being extremely embarrassed and doing more of that internal happy squealing. On the one hand, Leon was kind of teasing him, which was pretty mean, actually, but on the other, he'd just invited him to come by again! Okay, he'd said it in Leon, but Demyx had understood, and he was determined that tomorrow he was going to bring Leon something to eat—something tasty—something at least considerably better than a squished ham and cheese sandwich. Okay, so cooking wasn't really one of his skills either. How hard could it be? Right?

The somewhat peculiar, thoughtful look on Demyx's face made Leon wonder what the hell he'd just gotten himself into.

Demyx, on the other hand, was bound and determined now. Just a simple kindness that really didn't amount to all that much was enough to really get him going. His previous shyness forgotten, Demyx felt like he had a mission now: he was going to get Squall Leonheart to fall for him if it was the last thing he did.


	2. Chapter 2

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairing: Leon x Demyx

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

**Having Heart**

**Chapter 2: Sweet Misery**

_I was lost  
And you were found  
You seemed to stand on solid ground_

The thing about Demyx that threw Leon off the most was how self-aware he was. Oh, don't get me wrong, there was also the adorable blushing and the sputtering and the way he shifted from one foot to the other when he was waiting for some sign of approval, but all that wouldn't throw him off this much. He'd known plenty of really adorable guys. He'd never tell them they were adorable, of course, because he was Leon and anyway it would go to their heads, but underneath all the babbling and awkwardness Demyx seemed to have a certain something that grounded him.

It was only the second time they'd talked—which was really a whole lot of Demyx talking and Leon occasionally tossing in a cent or two just to acknowledge that he was paying attention—and Leon already felt like he knew more about the diminutive blonde than anyone had any right knowing about someone else. Oh, it was all trivial things that didn't matter much, but even so he felt like he already knew the blonde pretty well. Which in itself wasn't bad…but…he was already starting to like Demyx a little and _that_ was very, very bad. Some conversation and company at lunch was one thing. He didn't want to lead the guy on but he'd already decided that he wouldn't go through this again. Never.

Demyx leaned over him and looked up to meet Leon's downcast stare. He was pouting rather adorably. "If my stories are boring you, then say so, meanie."

Leon blinked. Meanie? Why were people still calling him that, after all this time? He was _much_ nicer now. "Ah, no, that's not it…" he tried to placate the blonde—mostly so he'd stop looking at him like that.

"It's my cooking, isn't it?" Demyx pouted, eyes turning into big, clear pools as if he might burst into tears before he looked away. "It's…not very good. I tried so hard too…"

"It's fine," Leon answered just a bit too disinterestedly. It was terrible, actually, but he didn't _think_ it would kill him.

"Liar!" Demyx declared, pointing and suddenly leaping to his feet. "Even I think it's bad and I'm the one who made it!" he wailed a little. "You don't even know what it is, do you?"

Crap. Busted. Leon looked down at the container propped on his knees and tried to determine what it was. There were…well those were _probably_ noodles…and…ah… "It's a casserole."

_I would cry  
And you would smile  
You'd stay with me a little while_

This caused Demyx to flail and burst into tears. Leon blinked. Okay, so, not a casserole. "It's meatloaf!" he complained. "Meatloaf. But it's not loafy at all! It just fell apart the second I took it out of the tray…" he sniffled.

Oh. So those weren't noodles. They must be onions. Damn it. The crying. He had to make it stop! But how was he supposed to do that? "Demyx, calm down…"

"I'm a failure!" the blonde wailed in reply. "I can't even make a tasty lunch for the guy I like." He pouted and flopped back against the wall. "I tried _four times_. The bento was soggy and the pasta was burnt and the chicken was half raw on the inside…" He sniffled. He wanted to impress Leon, but in the end he just ended up acting like a big baby. Now Leon knew even with a cookbook open right next to him Demyx couldn't cook.

He'd tried so hard though, Leon didn't have the heart to break it to him that the meatloaf would probably make most people run screaming. Leon wasn't most people though. He'd determined to suffer through it since Demyx had made it. Really, it didn't taste too terrible, but it looked kind of like dog food. Speaking of dogs, it dawned on him that Demyx was kind of like a puppy. And damn it, Leon really liked puppies. All animals, really, but puppies were probably his favorite. Darn.

"It's perfectly edible," he said, which wasn't a lie because he hadn't said it was good. "But if you hate it that much don't worry about it. I brought sandwiches."

Demyx blinked and looked up. Sandwiches? Plural?

Leon put the partially eaten container of mush to the side and pulled them out. Sure enough-two turkey sandwiches. Demyx's eyes widened. Leon had made extra lunch as if he expected Demyx to join him. Leon had made him lunch… His cheeks flared and he rather suddenly glomped Leon about the middle.

Startled, Leon lifted his hands as if in surrender as he was clung to, the remaining meatloaf toppling to the ground as Demyx's sudden motion had knocked it over. "Uhm…"

But just as quickly as he'd grabbed him Demyx let go, snatching one of the sandwiches from his hand and removing it from its careful wrapping in a hurry before biting down. The lunch that Leon had made for him. Yaaay!

Leon watched him a moment before a slight smile tugged at his lips in spite of himself. Just like a puppy. He could go from crying to wagging his tail in five seconds or less. It really was pretty cute whether he liked to admit that he thought so or not.

Demyx looked up just in time to see it and swallowed, blushing and lips spreading into a wide grin. Leon had just _smiled_ at him. Sure, it was a little thing, but he'd been watching the man for a while—he didn't do that for just anyone! All the nervous little butterflies in his stomach suddenly started doing a very un-synchronized dance of joy. "Tomorrow…" blush. He really had to stop the constant blushing. "Tomorrow I'll make the sandwiches. Even I can make sandwiches. There's no cooking or fire involved at all. I mean, if it's okay for me to come by tomorrow again?"

He was so full of hopeful innocence. Leon's gaze softened a little and he nodded. "No salami," he answered. He didn't like salami, and now Demyx knew it. One more little detail added to the puzzle that is Squall Leonheart.

Predictably, Demyx beamed happily at him and answered, "Okay!" He couldn't help but be happy. Leon was letting him make a habit of this lunch thing. Sure, he hadn't gotten an actual _date_ yet, but the brunette wasn't telling him to get lost either. He watched quietly as Leon picked the crust off. '_No salami and no crust,'_ he made a mental note.

The next day, when Demyx showed up, proudly producing roast beef and swiss on a hard roll Leon actually blushed a little and looked away at the fact that the blonde had noticed. If Demyx was trying to earn points for being incredibly considerate…

…it was working.

_  
I was weak  
And you were strong  
And me and my sitar  
we strummed along_

Leon wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. He'd finally relented to the heat and tied his hair back into a short ponytail at the base of his neck. Whose idea was it to patch up a leaky roof at 1:00 on a humid afternoon in the middle of July anyway? Oh, right. His. He was looking forward to the rain due for that evening though—it might help him cool off. Either that or an ice cold shower.

Demyx watched him from the ground, resting in the shade of one of the nearby houses. He watched the muscles in Leon's bare back coil and relax with the rhythmic pounding of the hammer and tried his damndest not to imagine those rippling muscles and glistening sweat moving from very different reasons. Blush. No no, bad Demyx! Today was _not_ the day to get all hot under the collar. Even so, he thought his heart would melt when he saw the brunette look at his watch. That's right that's right! It was almost time for their lunch!

Leon frowned and sat back a bit. He wouldn't be able to finish this by the time Demyx found him. And Demyx _always_ found him. It would be almost creepy if the blonde wasn't so damn adorable. And Leon hated to think about that, how adorable the boy was because he was _not_ going to fall for him. Nope. Not happening. So why was he always worrying over being ready to stop working in time for lunch?

The brunette frowned and wiped the sweat from his brow again. "This sucks." One might think he meant the work he was doing, because that definitely did suck in its own right, but it wasn't actually referring to. Should he just give in? If he did, he knew it would make Demyx grin that happy puppy grin he had, but on the other hand…hadn't he decided he was done with this whole thing? Hadn't he pulled himself out of the dating game? If that was true…then what was he doing trying to keep lunch dates? __

Sweet misery you cause me  
That's what you called me  
Sweet misery you cause me

"You're done working already?" Demyx asked, blinking. It was unusual for Leon to pack up while he still had a little bit of sunlight to work by, so when he saw the brunette slinging his bag over his shoulder and stretching a kink out of his back, he waited (stalked, whatever) him for a few minutes before spontaneously showing up by his side.

Leon gave him a bland look. "It's creepy how you do that."

"Do what?" Demyx blinked rather innocently and Leon looked away lest he get carried away. Why did he have to be so damn cute, looking up with those puppy dog eyes, fingers laced behind his back, rocking back on his heels. If Demyx was trying to get attacked with hugs and kisses that was probably a good start. Luckily, Squall Leonheart didn't do such things.

"You know what," he complained. "Showing up out of nowhere every time."

Now Demyx really was confused. Every time? Every time what? "Every time?" he asked

"I'm not telling," Leon stated, because it was nobody's business but his own! And anyway, it was a little embarrassing.

"Don't be mean!" Demyx complained, hugging onto his arm rather suddenly. "You're the one who brought it up and now you won't tell me? Mean mean mean!" Protest, whine.

Oh man, why'd he have to say anything at all! When he gave Leon that look the brunette had a really hard time saying no to him. And…Demyx called him mean. "Whatever." Maybe that old tried and true phrase would get him by by the skin of his teeth again? If he pretended he didn't care.

"Ooooooh! You! You'd better tell me!" Demyx demanded. "If you don't I'll…I'll force you to eat my cooking again!"

"It wasn't that bad…" Liar. They both knew it was pretty damn bad. But saving himself the embarrassment might be worth it.

"Then I'll…I'll kiss you!"

"You'll _what?!" _He couldn't have heard that right. Couldn't have. His cheeks flared very slightly.

"Kiss. I'll Kiss you. A big smooch, right on the lips. I'll wait until all your friends are around because it'll embarrass you more that way," Demyx insisted sternly. Okay, so he wanted to kiss Leon anyway. A lot. Pretty much all the time. But that wasn't the point.

"Every time I start thinking about you, alright?! Satisfied?" Because yeah, that would be absolutely mortifying…getting suddenly kissed by someone none of his 'friends' knew…he'd never live it down.

Demyx blushed rather cutely at the admission though, which made Leon feel a little smug, like he wanted to say, 'hah! You asked for it!' He beat down that little internal voice though before anything could come of it. Demyx collected himself more quickly than usual though. "Know what?" he asked, and Leon instinctively took a step back, not caring for the mischievous look the blonde had in his eyes.

"…what…?"

Demyx's insides were roiling with nervous anticipation. Leon had just admitted that he thought of him. A lot. Because Demyx showed up beside him a lot. At first it had only been lunches, but then he'd started showing up just about any time Leon didn't look terribly busy. And he'd sometimes stay after lunch to chat while Leon worked. Leon said he didn't mind much. It made the day go a little faster. And now Leon admitted that when he wasn't there he _thought about him_. He knew Leon well enough to know that he wasn't going to be making any moves any time soon, but that admission was enough to give Demyx a little courage.

"I fibbed," he said. "A little."

Leon narrowed his brow, wondering what the hell Demyx was saying. He soon found out as the blond made a small leap up, arms wrapping about his neck as their lips connected. His eyes widened in shock for an extended moment before he realized…to hell with it. He was fighting a losing battle as it was…and…there were sparks. He let his eyes drift closed, sighing very slightly into the kiss before deepening it, wrapping his arms softly around the slender male.

Demyx thought he might melt into a puddle of goo on the spot. Leon was kissing him back. _Squall Leonheart_ was kissing him! He'd dreamed of it for so long that it amazed him it could actually really happening. Fantasy #1: Mission Accomplished. Demyx's personal wet dream was kissing him. When their lips parted he had to force himself to breathe for a moment, resting his head against a strong shoulder. "I said…I'd kiss you if you didn't tell me…but…" Another one of those cute blushes spread across his cheeks as he clung a little more tightly to the brunette. "I didn't say I wouldn't if you did."

"You're impossible," Leon stated. It wasn't supposed to be like this. This wasn't supposed to happen at all. But one kiss and he knew already he'd lost—fully and completely. His heart was waving the proverbial white flag-okay, I surrender, you win.

"But…" Demyx pouted up at him. "I tried really hard to make you like me and you still didn't show any sign. You knew from the beginning I liked you. It's not nice of you to just pretend my feelings don't exist."

"I wasn't doing that…" Leon protested. "I just…didn't want to do this again."

Demyx blinked owlishly up at him and Leon sighed. He'd have to explain. "Liking. Being liked."

"You're too young to be a bitter old man," Demyx teased, leaning up to try his luck with another kiss. Leon relented and let him have his way.

"You're too old to be so cute, but you still are," Leon retorted—before averting his gaze when he realized what he'd just said. It got him rather heartily glomped.

"I win," Demyx insisted.

"Yeah," Leon answered with a sigh, "you win."

"So when do I get my prize?"

"Prize?" Leon blinked down at the blonde to find him pouting rather cutely up at him again.

"Date!" he insisted. "My date! Not just eating lunch together, but a real date with…with meeting at a certain time and being mad when you're late, and going somewhere nice and dressing up and…flowers! I want flowers! You'd better not forget."

Leon's lips curled just barely and he repeated his earlier statement. "You're impossible."__

I was blind  
But oh, how you could see  
You saw the beauty in everything, everything and me

Leon frowned at his reflection in the mirror. And then he frowned at Cloud's reflection in the mirror—most notably the quirked brow the blonde was sporting as his roommate changed into his third shirt. "Not one word," Leon stated.

"Word," Cloud retorted.

"It's none of your business," Leon said, having finally settled on a pair of black slacks and a collarless white linen dress shirt and deciding he really needed to expand his wardrobe—he didn't own nearly enough 'dress' clothing. Well, with any luck Demyx wouldn't make him go out anywhere fancy again, or at least not often. But if he was bringing flowers he figured he'd better go somewhere nice too, so he'd gone and made reservations for a window table at a Hotel Restaurant by the shore.

"Didn't say it was."

"And, no, you don't get to meet him."

"…jerk." Still, that was one question answered. It was a 'he'. When it came to Leon, Cloud really hadn't been sure. Gaydar on the fritz, maybe. Whatever the case it was really entertaining to see Leon getting so defensive. Yeah, Cloud was bored, so he was just messing with the brunette a bit before Leon grabbed a bundle of flowers and exited via the window—lest anyone else stop him to tease him along the way.

They'd decided to meet in the square. It hadn't dawned on Leon that it was a little weird that Demyx didn't want him to just pick him up at home. He arrived early though—because Demyx claimed he'd be mad if he was late—and spent the remaining time pacing until Demyx tapped him on the shoulder, startling the hell out of him and making him jump halfway out of his skin. He spun about, near-fumbling the bouquet, to find that Demyx looked even more molestable than usual in his black pants and a gray-blue sweater at least a size to big for him—his fingers just peeking out of the sleeves. He awkwardly held out the flowers. "I hope these are fine." Because really, how was he supposed to know what kind of flowers Demyx liked? So he'd gotten one of those bouquets with a little bit of everything.

Demyx didn't actually care what kind of flowers they were, he just thought it would be cool to get flowers, especially from Leon, who wasn't the type to go out of his way. And ooooh, he looked so handsome! He took the flowers with a bright smile. "Thank you! I've never gotten flowers before. "They're pretty."

"I never knew there were so many types of flowers to choose from," Leon admitted, which made Demyx giggle a bit, imagining Leon standing in the flower shop looking downright perplexed. "Well, uh, let's go, or we'll be late."

"Late?" Demyx blinked twice before blushing brightly when he realized. "You made reservations?!"

Leon didn't get to answer before he was suddenly hug-attacked by the blonde. "You're so sweet!"

"…Never say that again."

"Or what?" Demyx asked impishly.

"…or I'm never buying you flowers again." He really didn't know if that was a good threat or not, actually.

"Fine," Demyx answered. "Next time, _I'll_ buy _you_ the flowers."

"…don't you dare."__

And in my heart I see  
What you're doing to me  
And in my heart I see  
Just how you wanted it to be  
Sweet misery

Leon couldn't help but wonder why the more you paid for a meal the less of it there was. In fact, he wasn't even sure _what_ it was and this time it wasn't because it was so badly done that it was unrecognizable as actual food. It was just…some French thing. Why do they always have to name things in French? What's so great about the French anyway? Whatever it was, he sure hoped it was dead—and thoroughly cooked. "…Remind me never to order the special again."

"For the record, I would have been happy with burgers and fries," Demyx replied. Even he thought his meatloaf was more appetizing than some slimy French thing that neither of them could recognize. On the other hand, Leon had gone out of his way to reserve a table by the window with a nice view of the sea in probably the most expensive restaurant in town and the blonde was determined to love it. "But this is nice too. It's good to do something nice sometimes...though I don't own any fancy clothes," he admitted. "I had to borrow this sweater." Which explained why it was somewhat over-sized.

"I wish you'd told me that sooner," Leon said with a frown. "This shirt is uncomfortable."

Demyx grinned. Leon was just...so great. He was strong and brave and handsome and amazingly sweet. He'd really gone out of his way to do something nice for Demyx and when Demyx was around him he could forget, if only for a little while, that he wasn't really human—that there was something he lacked. "...hey, Leon?"

"Hm?" Leon asked, slightly distracted as he noticed someone else eating the same thing they were...ah, so that's how it was done. Didn't want to look like a complete fool, but meals like this really ought to come with instruction manuals.

"Afterwards, can we go for a walk on the beach?" Demyx asked hopefully. He liked the beach. Lots. And it was so close...

"I wish I knew you were so easy to please," he answered.

"So...that's a yes?"

"...Yes."

Demyx had to force himself not to launch across the table and accost the brunette in hugs and happy nuzzling.

Leon didn't fail to notice. He didn't know what he was doing. This was all so unlike him—this impulse to go out of his way just to make Demyx smile. Demyx smiled all the time. He didn't think any of this was really a very good idea, but on the other hand...Demyx was just so priceless. He had no idea what the slender blonde saw in someone like him, but maybe it was better not to ask.

--

"Leoooonnn," Demyx whined from his place walking beside the brunette, arms wrapped around the man's bicep as he tried not to look at the open area of collarbone and chest the brunette had exposed when he'd unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt—the second he got away from the restaurant.

"Sorry. What?"

"You're not listening again. Am I boring you that much?"

"No, no that's not it. I was just thinking," Leon answered. It had been true. He kept thinking about this entire situation. Him. Demyx. Him and Demyx together. And every time he thought about it he came up with two very contrary opinions on the matter. The first one was that he would do just about anything for the blonde despite the fact they'd known one another only a very short time. The other was that he didn't want to feel that way at all. It made him feel vulnerable and uncertain—two feelings he very much didn't want to deal with.

"Again," Demyx said. "You think too much."

"...Sorry."

"What were you thinking about?"

"...nothing in particular." Liar.

Demyx spun about from his side to in front of him, causing his stride to halt mid-step. He smirked up at him in that mischievous way he sometimes had that made Leon feel like he'd just become the butt of a joke he didn't know he was in the middle of. "Were you thinking about me?"

Leon looked away, demanding his cheeks not to flare. Busted. "...sort of."

"But I'm _right here_, Leon! You shouldn't be thinking about me. You should be talking to me! Silly."

"I said I was sorry..."

"Not good enough," Demyx replied. "I'll forgive you, but it's going to cost you," he said playfully.

"What...?" What in the world was the blonde up to now? Cost him? Cost him what?

"A kiss!" the blonde declared. "It's getting late you know. Did you think you'd escape without giving me one? It's a date, you know! A date!"

"Demyx..."

"Huh?"

"How am I supposed to kiss you if you won't shut up?" Leon teased a little.

Demyx blushed brightly and said, "Sh-shutting up now!" as his arms wrapped about Leon's shoulders.

As his lips descended over the blonde's Leon decided he'd just let things follow their course. He was helpless against those impish little smiles and puppy-dog mannerisms anyway. Demyx was just too cute. He'd dictated this entire thing from word one—before word one—that bright blush and adorable little squeak were enough to get the brunette's attention. He was priceless and part of Leon was fully willing to let the man turn his life upside down. He was charming and quirky and he told good stories, and even if you managed to brush all that aside there was still another fairly important factor...

...Demyx was a great kisser.

--

_To Reviewers: _

_FREAKSHOW1: _Yeah, I can either work fast, or drag my heels like crazy. It's not so much writing the chapters that takes a long time as finding the time to sit down and do so. The past few days work has been slow—boredom makes me productive.

_Leaf the Invisible: _ Color me properly stalked! Glad you like it so far. It's my first time writing Demyx. I hope I'm not making him TOO child-like.

_Water-gem: _Glad it meets with your approval. You can thank my buddy Fey and a really random impulse. We started rp-ing this couple and I fell in love with it. Can't help myself. I just adore those 'stoic guy/happy-go-lucky guy' pairings. It just makes for really entertaining chemistry.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is a prime example of me screwing around with lyrics. It fit the story, but not in the order of the song, so those of you who know Michelle Branch's 'All You Wanted' will find that the verses are a little chopped up and flipped around in this chapter. Otherwise, this is a continuation of the song from Chapter 1.

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairing: Leon x Demyx

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

**Having Heart**

**Chapter 3: All You Wanted (B)**

_So lonely inside  
So busy out there  
And all you wanted  
was somebody who cares_

In spite of all his internal debate before it came to this, at the end of the day, Leon was grateful. He was grateful for a few things actually. First of all, he was grateful that Cloud had up and disappeared again as he was wont to do. It wasn't that he hated Cloud or anything, but it was nice to have his home to himself again. He wasn't that much of an antisocial loner, not really. But rather, it meant he could have Demyx over without anyone mocking him or otherwise getting in the way. He couldn't admit it in so many words, but in very little time he'd become very dependant and very, very infatuated with the slender blonde. And he rather liked the way Demyx would produce some ridiculously sappy film to watch night after night. It wasn't the films he liked. In fact they were slightly horrid—always a girl and a guy and a series of misunderstandings and/or some overdone tragedy that pulls them apart only to have a sappy reunion at the end—but rather he looked forward to the way Demyx would curl up against his side, burrow under a cozy blanket, and fall asleep against his side halfway through…when they weren't too busy making out to even realize the movie had ended, that is. It's what one might call the honeymoon period. Demyx helped Leon keep his sanity and keeping his sanity meant he could also keep his temper in check—something he sorely needed these days…especially when he heard that Tifa and Yuffie had been sparring and taken down a wall he'd only _just _reconstructed.

The relaxing evenings with Demyx meant the world to him and Demyx knew it. It wasn't that he _hated_ Leon's friends, but he was starting to not like them very much at all. They didn't appreciate all of his hard work. He woke up at dawn and ran around like crazy until dusk and it was like pulling teeth to get them to help most of the time—well, other than Cid, Cid was okay. Maybe it had something to do with being older and more mature, though he was sure a foul-mouthed old bastard. Cloud just went where he wanted when he wanted and there was no point asking him for help with anything. Tifa was either beating things up or running about looking for Cloud, and Yuffie would steal the shoes right off your feet if you weren't paying attention. Merlin was too busy magicking and reading musty books to really even notice there was a world outside of his puny house. Demyx hadn't met any of them personally, but he'd spent a lot of time spying on Leon, after all, and now that they were a couple Leon sometimes complained to the blonde after a particularly exhausting day.

Just having Demyx there, always willing to listen, or telling ridiculous stories and babbling on about his likes and dislikes…trying to help in the kitchen and learn how to cook a little better…it was like therapy for the brunette. On the other hand, Demyx hated to see him so exhausted. Some days Leon came home, flopped onto the bed, and passed out before he even got his boots off and others he had trouble finding sleep at all—having far too much on his mind. Demyx always stayed until Leon fell asleep…

_Please can you tell me  
So I can finally see  
Where you go when you're gone_

…but without fail when morning came around he wasn't anywhere to be found, the side of the bed that had so quickly become 'Demyx's side' long gone cold. It troubled Leon a little. He wouldn't have minded if the blonde decided he wanted to move in, but Demyx never even stayed the night. It made Leon paranoid. Was he not good enough? Had the blonde changed his mind? Or was this just a fling for Demyx? Did he have someone else waiting for him at home?

'I'm being ridiculous,' Leon thought. 'Even Demyx can't want to deal with me _all_ the time.' He knew he wasn't very fun to be around. And anyway, maybe Demyx had a pet at home that needed to be fed. He seemed like the type of person who would have a pet. A puppy, or a kitten, or at the very least goldfish—goldfish with childish and obvious names like Fishy and Swimmy, or Goldie and Goldie II, something a toddler would have thought up. Either that or he'd named them after the people in his life. Someone like Demyx probably had a lot of friends who were undoubtedly starting to complain about being neglected.

--

"Do you want it? Come get it," Demyx laughed as the little Shadow Heartless lumbered over, antenna twitching. Little known fact: Shadows like lifesavers. Well, they like any kind of candy really, but especially lifesavers, and this one really liked the green ones. He held it out in his hand with an impish smile, rolling over onto his stomach.

"Demyx, do you _always_ have to play with the shadows when we're having a meeting?" Luxord complained. The musician was just too easily distracted.

"It's not really much of a meeting," Demyx replied. "There are only four of us here, and isn't it just because we all happened to show up at the same time?" He gave the shadow's antenna a little tug as it popped the lifesaver into its mouth, blinking up at him. So cute! It was like having a pet. "Besides, I think this one likes me."

"It just likes that you feed it _constantly_," Xaldin said. "At this rate you're going to name it like some kind of pet."

Demyx's cheeks colored a bit. Oops. Busted.

"You already named it?" Luxord asked, exasperated.

"Aw, don't give him such a hard time, Sparky," Axel said, kicking off the wall to sit down next to Demyx and the little critter. "What's his name?"

Oh. Crap. "It's…er… Junior," Demyx answered.

"Junior?" Axel laughed. "What? Demyx Junior? You suck at naming things."

Demyx blushed a little. Actually, it was Leon Jr., but he couldn't say that or he'd be totally busted so he just let Axel think what he wanted to think. "W-well, he's my pet! I can name him what I want!"

"Seriously though, Demyx, what are you thinking?"

"Huh?"

"You've missed two meetings this month already and were late to a third. Xemnas is starting to get seriously pissed."

"I overslept!" Demyx defended himself.

"Three times?"

"Y-yes! Three times! Shut up," he pouted. "I already said I was really sorry."

"…Saix said he's seen you wandering around Radiant Garden." Demyx paled slightly. "But…it's summer…and there's a beach…" Lame, lame excuses, but it was better than telling them what he was really doing down there. "I'm not good at fighting and stuff anyway, so…I've gotta entertain myself while you guys are off doing, you know, those things you do." Were they buying any of this?

Xigbar just rolled his eyes. "You guys are boring. I'm out of here."

Luxord shrugged and followed after him with a certain witty comment about finding _some way_ to entertain him.

Axel flopped back in his chair in a fairly comfortable sprawl once they were gone. "You need to be more careful."

Demyx startled and tensed. It was hard to play with Leon Jr. when Axel was giving you his 'I'm serious for once' expression.

"They're going to find out."

"F-f-find out what?" Demyx stuttered.

"You know what. If you like him that much, convince him over to our team. If you behave yourself, Xemnas might even let you keep him—after he has his heart, of course."

Demyx found he didn't really like that idea much. "But…would he still be Leon if he didn't have a heart?"

Axel shrugged and rolled to his feet. "We turned out okay. Anyway, only one way to find out." He gave Demyx a wave before opening a portal…something about going to 'play' with Roxas's other self.

Demyx shook his head to rid it of that line of thought. He couldn't believe himself for actually considering it for a moment. He didn't like to keep things from Leon, but it wasn't good, not having a heart—that's what he thought, anyway. Even so, he appreciated Leon a lot more than those meanies that said they were his friends. He scratched Junior's chin and fed him another lifesaver. Still…if Axel was already onto him, he was going to have to come up with _something_ or he was gonna be in big trouble.

_I'm sinking slowly  
So hurry hold me  
Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on_

It was three in the morning. Actually, it was 2:04 and 17 seconds. 18. 19… Leon knew this because he'd been staring at the clock for the past 2 hours and 12 minutes. He'd given up on trying to sleep. He knew he should try to rest, take a pill or _something_, but Leon was the kind of guy who hated any medicine that he didn't absolutely need and this was nothing that a curaga could solve. He was restless. Lonely.

In short: he hadn't seen Demyx in three days. Three. Whole. Days. After going not even a full 24 hours without seeing the smaller male for weeks on end, this made Leon edgy and downright neurotic. And being edgy and neurotic had the extra-fun of causing the man—already a worrier by nature—to be completely unable to sleep.

To add insult to injury the pipes in Merlin's house had burst, Tron was apparently in the middle of fighting off a major computer virus and required a series of intricate and excessively temperamental upgrades, and Tifa had busted ANOTHER wall sparring with Yuffie. He was sorely tempted to build a sign that read 'Welcome to Radiant Garden: Under Construction' since it seemed as if it was going to be a permanent state of affairs. Leon sighed and rolled over onto his side deciding he was still far too young to have so many overgrown children.

By all rights he should be exhausted, but some part of him was paranoid that the second he closed his eyes, Demyx might knock on the door. Which was ridiculous, really. Why would he just show up in the middle of the night?

KNOCK, KNOCK.

Leon bolted out of bed and flung the door open. When he saw Demyx standing there worrying his lower lip he felt about ten years younger and pulled the male inside and Demyx found himself being rather thoroughly kissed, wrapped up in Leon's strong arms before he could even get past 'hello'.

"I'm sorry for coming by so late," Demyx said, leaning his head against Leon's shoulder. Oooh, thank goodness! He wasn't mad!

"I wasn't asleep," Leon said, kissing him again.

He didn't have to use words for Demyx to understand how much the brunette had missed him. And communicating without them definitely seemed to be something the man was far more adept at. Even so, he blushed a bit when he realized he was tightly pressed against Leon's chest and the man was wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts…and Leon had a very nice, very firm…very _very_ sexy body. And said sexy body was pulling him over to the bed.

"Ah, Leon, I…I'm really sorry…"

Leon stopped dead, still clutching Demyx's hand and turning with a slight frown. "Do you still want to be with me, or not?" he blanketed.

"I-I do!" Demyx answered, nodding vehemently. "It's just…"

"That's all I need to know then." Leon didn't care why Demyx had disappeared for three days without a phone call, not right now in the middle of the night when he wanted nothing more than to hold the blonde tight and make sure he stayed for a good long while.

Demyx couldn't really bring himself to argue when he was tossed upon the bed and kissed rather thoroughly again, Leon's hands starting to get a little friskier than they'd ever been. Well, they _do _say things about absence and the heart growing fonder, don't they? Ah, but Leon looked so hot, barely dressed with his hair hanging in his face like that and his mouth apparently finding Demyx's jaw and throat rather interesting.

It was nice that Leon had missed him so much, but even so… "Ahn…Leon…maybe you should put some clothes on…"

"Maybe you should take some off," Leon retorted, hand sliding up under Demyx's shirt. Demyx suddenly lost all will to argue and wrapped his arms around the brunette's shoulders, blushing rather adorably. Oooh, now he really wanted a heart. Really really. Because if he didn't have one, how was he supposed to give it to this handsome, gentle, needy, stubborn, paranoid, downright amazing guy?

--

"NNghhaaah!" Demyx cried out, back arching in bliss before collapsing against Leon's chest. Leon answered with a deep throated moan before

Three times. One for each day that Demyx had been gone. The blonde blushed at the thought and listened to the labored pounding of Leon's heart and their heavy breathing. That had been…quite possibly the most amazing night of his life. The sun was coming up now and its golden rays kissed Leon's now very obviously drowsy features. Well, it was good that he'd managed to exhaust the man anyway—he obviously needed sleep.

"You've been working too hard again," Demyx observed, knowing Leon a little too well. The way Leon's shoulders loosened and he slumped against the blonde spoke volumes. He'd needed relief from three days of stress building to which Demyx's notable absence hadn't helped him one little bit.

"Doesn't matter," Leon answered around a yawn. "You're here now."

"Leon…" If he had a heart Demyx was sure it would be shattering for the man.

"Will you be here when I wake up?" Leon asked without lifting his head from where it was buried—half between the pillow and the top of Demyx's head.

"…I'm sorry…" Demyx said, his chest feeling more hollow than it had ever felt in his entire life and a few tears escaping. "I'll stay until you fall asleep," he assured. "And I'll come see you every chance I get."

"It won't be every day anymore, will it?" Leon sounded ever so slightly depressed at that.

"I'm sorry…" Demyx said again, very softly, clinging tighter to the brunette. "I wish I could be here with you all the time. I do, honest. It's just…" _If the Organization catches me with you they're going to steal your heart and you'd find out about me and if you couldn't forgive me for it I'd just absolutely die!_ he thought. "It's work. Crazy, sometimes really long hours, and very demanding co-workers. I'll come as often as I can, and I'll be thinking about you like…all the time…I promise."

Already halfway to dreamland, Leon smirked very slightly, and yawned something that sounded suspiciously like "love you too." Demyx clung to him tightly and tried to keep himself from bursting into tears with the desire to somehow, _somehow_ make this work.__

_If you want to  
I can save you  
I can take you away from here_

It went on this way for a while. Demyx would sneak away every time everyone else was too busy to notice he was gone. Sometimes it was only an hour, sometimes a day, but every time he showed up Leon dropped whatever he was doing to be with him. Okay, so maybe this made progress on Radiant Garden's restorations stutter and sometimes stop entirely, but Demyx didn't care one little lick about Radiant Garden really as long as his presence made Leon happy. Well, maybe that was just a sign of Demyx not having a heart—he really didn't give a damn about Leon's supposed friends since they didn't seem to give enough of a crap about Leon, and he wasn't upset at all that Leon didn't show any real interest in him meeting them—he might say something he regretted.

Yeah, maybe Demyx had been in a bit of a mood since he hardly ever got to see Leon anymore and stupid Keyblade-Boy had killed Junior—sulk, mope, whine—and yes, he'd totally cried his little non-existent heart out over his lost pet—but he felt it was all totally justified.

There was also the matter of Axel being evil, capital EVIL, even. He'd spent so much time nudging and coaxing that Demyx was starting to think pulling Leon into the fold, so to speak, was a damn good idea. In fact, Leon would totally thank him, because he wouldn't have to work as hard and he'd be sooo much more appreciated! Yeah, it was an idea. A good one. Of course, he'd never _force_ Leon into it or anything, but it was only natural to want to spend as much time as possible around one's boyfriend, right? Right! Of course that was right! Definitely.

Okay, so no one's perfect and Demyx was a little gullible and his logic centers obviously impaired. Let's not judge him too harshly for it. It wasn't like he thought Leon's heart getting swiped was a good idea. He'd just have to…somehow convince Xemnas that he was more useful with his heart in tact. Yeah! Xemnas would listen to reason, right? Maybe? Or…or he could just…hide Leon somewhere. Yeah. Sigh. That would _never_ work! Ah! The islands! Xemnas never went to those islands! He could coax Leon into a vacation, god knows the brunette needed one.

"Demyx…"

The blonde jumped and startled. "Sorry, what?"

"This time you're the one not paying attention is you," Leon chastised. He didn't mean any harm, but Demyx was always teasing him for thinking too much and zoning out, but now that Leon was actually talking Demyx was off in his own little world.

Demyx blushed a little. "I'm sorry…" he said. "I was just thinking we should take a vacation together."

"Sure," Leon answered easily enough, "as soon as the restorations are finished."

"No I mean, now. Or a week from now. I want to go on a vacation with you," Demyx pushed a little.

Leon frowned. "Can't right now. There's still too much work to do."

Demyx felt a little annoyed. Work was more important than spending time with a boyfriend who you hardly get to see. It made him sulk a little.

"So make them cover for you, those friends of yours. It's the least they can do," he huffed, sitting up.

"Demyx, they're not my friends because they do stuff for me," Leon sighed. "Try to understand."

"I _am_ trying," Demyx protested, desperate to get Leon somewhere where he could have him to himself and see him more often. "I'm _trying_ to understand why your friends, who are always busting stuff up and who don't help you nearly enough, are more important to you than I am."

Leon sat up too with a sigh. "It's not about being 'more important', you know that," Leon said.

"Then what _is _it about, Leon?" Demyx complained. "I want to be with you, you know."

"I know," Leon said, cupping Demyx's cheek a little sadly. He adored Demyx, but didn't think he'd ever understand given the tantrum he was throwing. "But they need me."

Demyx stood in a huff, on the verge of tears from frustration. "I need you more!" he demanded, stomping his foot.

"You _have_ me."

"No," Demyx shook his head, the tears falling. "No, I don't." He ran off in tears, leaving Leon to wonder what the hell he'd said so wrong. Wasn't loving him enough? Wasn't putting his life on hold every time Demyx showed up enough? What more did Demyx want from him? He already had his heart. How much more was he supposed to give?

_  
All you wanted was somebody who cares_

--

A/N: Ugh. Once again sitting down to finish this chapter was such a chore! Not that the chapter was hard to write, but finding the time to just…sit down and do it. Hope I'll have the chance to write the next chapter soon!

_To Reviewers:_

_Leaf the Invisible: _So far so good then!

_W4White:_ I'm glad I managed to get you into a new pairing then. I agree. Pairing opposites together is pretty entertaining and often very cute.

_SilverTears11: _All in due time! Actually, I think pretty soon. Not this chapter but, we're getting there. Glad you're enjoying it so far.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am SO SORRY this took so long! I swear, this chapter...was written three sentences at a time. Every time I thought I had some time to finish it I'd get a few sentences written and then something would come up and I'd have to stop. Twice I opened the file on my computer to find I'd stopped _mid-sentence_...and had no idea where the hell I was going when I'd started said sentence. Will try to write the next chapter soon, but at the rate I'm going, really, who knows when 'soon' is going to be. I can't seem to keep the pace I was keeping before. Sorry for that.

**SPECIAL NOTE: **A character is going to show up in the chapter who those of you who have never played Final Fantasy VIII won't be familiar with, but I just couldn't resist weaseling my namesake in here a little. That said, so as not to ruin the chapter, those of you who don't know him when you come across him...LOOK HIM UP, he is in my oh-so-humble opinion, the most hilariously awesome video game character of all time.

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairing: Leon x Demyx

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

**Having Heart**

**Chapter 4: Always Be Right There**

_When you're all alone,  
and you need a light,  
someone to guide you through the night,  
just remember that I am here,  
to hold you close and dry your tears. _

There was at least one good thing about fighting. Axel had told him so. It was called making up. Axel had made it sound like it was about himself and Roxas since there were other people around, but Demyx knew the red-head was trying to comfort him. He'd been moping ever since his last trip down to Radiant Garden when Leon had refused to give up everything for him. Oh, he knew it was too much to ask. And he knew he was being selfish, and he knew he should apologize…but the hardest thing about being human—even a fake human—is admitting when you're wrong.

But, let's get back on topic. Axel had told him the best thing about fighting is making up. Luxord promptly agreed—and he seemed to be speaking from personal experience if the hickey just barely peeking out of his cloak was any sign. It was hard to remember sometimes what's more important, being with the person you adore or being right. Demyx wasn't sure that Leon wasn't at least partially to blame, but he knew that he, at least, had an apology to make. Even if he didn't understand Leon's feelings completely, he knew that Radiant Garden and his friends were important to the brunette and it wasn't fair to assume otherwise. And even more importantly than all that...he needed Leon. Leon made him feel different, special even—way more special than he knew he actually was. For a person like Demyx who lived in darkness, Leon was a sort of guiding light. He made him want to be better than he was and somehow come to understand Leon's feelings—heart or no heart.

After a few weeks of letting these sorts of thoughts tumble through his mind, Demyx finally relented, stubborn pride forgotten, and snuck away to Radiant Garden again. It was probably dangerous to do so. He knew that. If he got caught and Leon found out, or worse than that, if Xemnas did…he was in big trouble—which he knew was probably the understatement of the century. Even so…it was worth the risk. That's what all his angsting and generally unhappy behavior had taught him. It was worth it, because being without Leon made him not himself, and because well…Leon really was very handsome and nice and strong and brave and…stuff. Okay, so maybe he wasn't feeling particularly eloquent today, as he peeked around the corner of another freshly built wall to see Leon in all his topless glory laying bricks across the way. Working all alone again…the meanies!

Speaking of meanies, one tapped him on the shoulder and Demyx jumped almost out of his skin, spinning about and falling gracelessly on his ass to find Cloud staring down at him with a flat look. Blink. Blink.

"Go home," Cloud said firmly. "He doesn't need you fucking up his life."

Demyx's brow narrowed. "What do you know?!" he huffed. "You just come by and use him whenever you see fit and don't do anything for him," he said stubbornly.

"Isn't that the same with you?" Cloud quipped. It wasn't that he was possessive, but Leon had enough problems right now without tossing in a fly by night lover on top of it all. "I stay out of his way."

"That's just an excuse for not helping him when he needs it!" Demyx got up, stomping his foot.

"You haven't got any idea what he needs. I'm telling you for the last time, get lost. He doesn't need you."

"I don't believe you!"

The argument had gone from hushed to downright loud and Leon, hearing Demyx's voice, turned to find the two blondes looking just about ready to kill one another. Surprised, he dropped a brick…right on his foot and cursed, grabbing said appendage irritably. Both blondes turned. "Great way of saying hello…" he complained at Demyx, who immediately forgot about his irritation with Cloud and ran to his side. "I'm sorry!" Demyx said immediately, "for, you know, lots of stuff…and everything…I…!"

Leon sighed, looking a little pained because of said brick hitting said foot, mostly and leaned up, planting a mostly chaste kiss on Demyx's mouth. "I'm glad you aren't angry anymore." Demyx felt the strangest little something swell in his chest, like this burst of joy just exploding. Leon had forgiven him already. Unable to contain himself Demyx tackled the weary brunette in a tight hug that sent them both sprawling over the half wall Leon had been sitting on into a heap on the ground , sending empty paint cans spiraling around them.

When the initial rush was over, Demyx looked down at Leon and finally noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "You've been working WAY too hard!" he complained.

"Actually, I haven't done much work at all," he said. "I just started a little while ago. It helps me clear my head."

Demyx frowned at him, about to call him out on it when he got another look at those smoke-colored eyes. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. "Leon? What is it?" he asked, sitting up and letting his lover do the same.

_And just when you thought you were falling,  
but you know I'll always be right there._

Leon looked down and away. "…I'll be leaving Radiant Garden for a while," he said.

"Eeeh? What? Why?" When Leon had insisted he couldn't go on a vacation now he was leaving?!

"…There's something I have to see for myself," he answered in that stoic way he had when he was suffering and didn't want you to know. Leon was a bad liar though. Demyx could see right through him.

"Leon…" he prodded.

"It's my father. He…might be alive."

Demyx sat stunned for a moment. It may seem strange, but he never thought much about it—Leon having a family. Leon never talked about any parents or siblings and it was silly but Demyx had always worked on some illogical deduction that he'd just popped out of thin air or something—he'd never thought much about the possibility that the reason Leon never spoke about his family was because it was painful. But at the same time it was confusing. Might be alive? He looked at Leon uncertainly until the brunette sighed.

"The world I'm originally from was destroyed by heartless," he said, startling Demyx. "There's really no telling who survived and who didn't, everything got so screwed up…but Cloud…he heard about someone who might be him. I have to check into it." He laughed a little sardonic laugh. "It's so messed up—when I had him, I'd do anything to avoid him…now I'd give just about anything to see that stupid grin again."

Leon always found it strange that Demyx with a look or a simple tilt of the head could drag so much out of him. There was just something about Demyx that made him feel at ease and before he knew it he ended up confiding some little detail or other in his lover. Demyx's existence was just such a comfort. It eased the stress he'd been going through since Cloud had spontaneously showed up on his doorstep and said, 'I think your father is in Port Royal."

Demyx rather suddenly tangled his arms around Leon's neck. "I'll go with you." It was a sudden decision and actually not his smartest ever, but even so…he wanted to support Leon, who obviously needed SOMEONE by his side.

"What about work?" Leon asked—Demyx had always been very dedicated to his work before now.

"To hell with them," Demyx pouted. "You need me more than they do." He cuddled tightly against the brunette as if doing so could somehow infuse him with love and affection and make him forget his troubles if only for a little while.

"You're just noticing that now?" Leon asked, holding the blonde. It was true. He felt very comforted just having Demyx at his side.

"Don't start," Demyx complained. "You're just as guilty as I am on that one. When are we leaving?"

"Tonight," Leon said. "Cid is preparing a ship for me as we speak. It's a small one."

"I like small," Demyx answered quickly. "It means I can be closer to you."

"You're impossible."

"But you love me anyway?" Demyx prodded.

"Yeah," Leon answered, but didn't say the actual words. He never did. Demyx didn't blame him for it. He wasn't even sure he knew what love was—he just knew he wanted it. He squeezed Leon contently. As for Leon, he was pretty sure that as long as Demyx was with him he could survive anything—even if that anything involved Laguna Loire.

---

_When you're all alone,  
and you need a friend,  
someone to help you to the end,  
when you need someone to catch you when you fall,  
I'll be there through it all. _

"Sooo, what's Port Royal like?" Demyx asked, peering over Leon's shoulder. Cid hadn't been able to equip the ship with a warp drive, so they'd been alone for a week and Leon's sour mood was...finicky at best, but the dark circles under his eyes had left him thanks to Demyx's constant vying for attention—which kept him from thinking too hard about 'what-ifs' and 'maybees'.

"I've never been," Leon answered. "I hear that it's dark and not all that advanced technologically. We'll find out soon enough, we're docking now."

Demyx pouted a bit and nudged Leon in the ribs. "Heey, no moping," he prodded. "This might be your big reunion, you know."

"Or it might be me chasing after a ghost," Leon retorted with a sigh. He didn't like not knowing things, not being in control of his life—lately he felt like everything was spiraling out of his grasp. He sighed. "Sorry, I'm alright. Let's go."

_'No, you're not,'_ Demyx thought. _'Poor thing.'_ Well, it couldn't be helped. The sooner they found out the better and he knew Leon wouldn't rest until he got to the bottom of things. The second they stepped onto dry land Leon started looking for passers by, showing them an old, rather rumpled and faded photograph. Had they seen him? He'd be older. He spent three hours of this before sagging on the dock. A wild goose chase? Maybe. But he stared out at all that open ocean and wondered if maybe there wasn't an entire land mass out there somewhere he had yet to explore—this could take months! Demyx rubbed his shoulder comfortingly—there wasn't much else he could do really.

"Well, what's this, a stranger's sitting on my rum, that's never a good sign."

Leon lifted his head to find the most peculiarly dressed man—walking like some kind of insane drunkard—and wearing an overabundance of eye makeup. He blinked, and realized his 'rum' must be the barrel he had sunk upon in his depression. He didn't have the chance to even open his mouth before Demyx, trying to be helpful, snatched the photo from his hand, "Hey, hey, have you seen this guy?" he asked.

Jack blinked and leaned back from the paper shoved up in his face so far that he couldn't really even see anything but a blur or dark hair. "And what if I do?" he asked skeptically.

"Then you have to take us to him, pleaasee!?" Demyx bounced a little.

"Well, I don't see what's in it for me," Jack scoffed, handing the little slip of paper back.

No! This was their first lead and...and Demyx was going to make sure it didn't slip away so easily. "We...we're going to hold your barrel hostage until you take us to him!" Yeah...that was a great threat...

And yet, it seemed to work on the crazy pirate. They were holding the rum hostage? Well, that wasn't good... "So be it!" he declared suddenly. "I'll tell you where to find him if you step away from the rum."

Wait, that threat had actually worked? What _was_ this rum stuff? Liquid gold? "We'll step away from the rum if you tell us where he is," Demyx insisted, Leon pinching the bridge of his nose. He was NOT getting involved in such a juvenile conversation...especially when Jack declared, "Well, fine then. That guy is in a hospice at the end of the road. Now if you'll kindly step aside...

Stepping aside wasn't a problem—it was all Leon could seem to do to keep from taking off at a run down the road. He was in a _hospice_?! Please make him be helping out and not...not... _'Don't let me have found my father just to lose him again...please...'_

Demyx took off after him, and Jack Sparrow was contentedly obliged that his rum was safe.

---

_And I'll be there through the good times,  
and the bad,  
and we'll be there for each other,  
cause you're the best friend I've ever had. _

Leon just stood there, staring. Demyx could handle his temper and he could handle his gentleness, but just staring blankly at Laguna's unmoving body...Demyx couldn't handle that kind of pain from the brunette he'd risked everything he once thought was so very important to be beside. He didn't cry. Demyx thought for sure he should cry. He should do _something_, reach out and touch the man's hair-graying at the temples, or sit down and hold his hand, or start to shake or ...he should do or say SOMETHING. It wasn't healthy not to react to stress like this.

Leon, meanwhile, felt his heart tearing. It was a shock. He'd long ago learned to handle shocks with cold hard fact to avoid panic...but now it just meant he was thinking in definitions. One in particular repeatedly came to mind:

Coma: a state of prolonged unconsciousness, including a lack of response to stimuli, from which it is impossible to rouse a person.

Laguna Loire was alive...but even being alive, Leon might never see his father's goofy smile again. It just seemed like some kind of cruel joke. Haha. Joke's on Squall.

Demyx couldn't bear the silence a moment longer and said quietly, "You look alike."

That was all it took. Demyx could have said anything really. Leon collapsed into the wooden chair by the bed and buried his face in his hands, tears tumbling down his cheeks. It just wasn't fair. Demyx leaned over, hugging him tightly. "Leon..."

"I never thought so," he said quietly. "I never...acknowledged him at all. That must have been so painful...and yet, he always managed to keep that stupid smile on his face. I.."

"Shh," Demyx said, petting his hair. "We'll get him to a real doctor, okay? And he'll wake up, and everything will be okay." Demyx hoped that someday Leon would forgive him for lying to him. But as a nobody, he knew...the reason Laguna wasn't waking up was because he was missing something, something vital.

_And just when you thought you were falling,  
but you know I'll always be right there.  
Whenever you need me,  
I'll always be right there._

But he couldn't tell Leon that. He was afraid it might make the man somehow shatter. He'd never seen Leon looking so fragile. Well, it couldn't be helped. The missing pieces, he'd just have to find them, somehow...get them back. It wouldn't be easy but...Leon had done so much for him, always been there, never asked questions that he had every right to have the answers to...

Demyx decided he was going to make it up to him if it was the last thing he did—because he never wanted to see that broken expression in Leon's smoke-colored eyes again.

--

_To Reviewers:_

_Lavender and Rose Love: _Unfortunately I don't-I've been informed it's a rare pairing, but I ended up getting into it through an rp with a buddy and just HAD to write it. Glad you're enjoying the story so far.

_Leaf the Invisible: _ haha. Thanks. As you can see this chapter I tortured them a little. We did the sweet sappy stuff...now we need some angsty stuff so we can get back to the sweet sappy stuff. Yay.

_Water-gem:_ Thanks. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

_Kichi-Hisaki:_ haha yeah. Poor Demy-almost gave himself a concussion from nervousness. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story as much as you seem to have enjoyed the first two chapters.


	5. Chapter 5

**Having Heart**

**Chapter 5: I'd Rather Be In Love**

_I cannot help it I couldn't stop it if I tried  
The same old heartbeat fills the emptiness I have inside  
And I've heard that you can't fight love, so I won't complain  
'Cause why would I stop the fire that keeps me going on?_

Demyx carefully draped a blanket around Leon's shoulders carefully. He tensed a bit, but then relaxed back into slumber, upper body resting on the mattress of the hospital bed where Laguna Loire rested and lower body hunched forward in the chair. He'd wake up with a cramp later, but Demyx didn't have the heart to wake him and beg him to go to bed. He'd stopped worrying about having hearts and not having hearts—at least in terms of their relationship. Whether or not his chest was hollow on the inside, Demyx knew these feelings he had were real: the need to coddle Leon and protect him, the desire to always be with him and, foregoing that, make him smile whenever he could by any means possible…these feelings were real. He loved Leon. He _did_, and anyone who told him different was… was…was just _stupid_.

He gently tucked a strand of hair behind Leon's ear and watched it tumble right back to where it was. This was the first time he couldn't make Leon happy just by being there and that hurt—not because he wasn't enough but because Leon was in pain and that made him hurt inside. It made him hurt enough in the empty places that he knew he couldn't just stay here waiting until the end of time. He had to do something. He was one of the few people, for once in …_ever_…who actually might be able to manage it.

He very carefully leaned over and laid a butterfly kiss to Leon's temple. The brunette stirred a bit, but Demyx whispered. "Go back to sleep, love," and mostly unconscious anyway Leon was quick to oblige, not noticing the strange, full-length black coat the blond was wearing. Demyx laid a folded letter on the nightstand with Leon's name on it and pulled on his gloves, giving his lover one last glance before quickly leaving the room before he could lose his resolve. It ached so much…leaving like this, but if Leon were awake he'd insist on coming and that was something Demyx simply couldn't have. He didn't want Leon to know the worst parts of him, didn't want him to ever have to see them. But if Demyx said, 'I know how to save your father and it might get me killed,' while Leon was conscious he'd insist on coming. As much as Demyx loved Leon, he'd only get in the way. So Demyx turned to the one person he knew that he thought might understand and might be able to help: Axel.

_Turn out the lights now  
To see is to believe  
I just want you near me  
I just want you here with me  
And I'd give up everything only for you  
It's the least that I could do_

He returned to the dark. It was hard to do after living in the light. Okay, so Port Royal hadn't seen a healthy dose of sunshine in years, it still wasn't the same thing as being in the dark, not the real dark—the chill your soul and leaves you empty kind of darkness that he knew too well and had almost—_almost­­—_managed to escape. But for Leon's sake, he'd do it. He had to be sneaky and…well, he wasn't particularly good at sneaky, but he was trying anyway.

"This had better be good." Demyx jumped and spun around to face Axel. "Don't sneak up on me!" he protested in a whiny and agitated whisper. "I'm edgy enough as it is."

"For good reason too," Axel said, poking Demyx in the forehead. "It's dangerous for you to be here after running off like you did. Xemnas is pissed."

"…he's gonna be even more pissed soon," Demyx answered with a sullen pout, swatting at the hand. "I didn't know who else to ask. I know I shouldn't but…I just need a little information, okay?"

Axel quirked a brow and put a hand on his hip leaning to one side. "What kind of information."

"A…heart," Demyx said just above a whisper. "There's a really specific one I have to find."

Axel tensed. His normal goofiness forgotten again under the weight of the conversation. "You're taking things too far for some guy."

Demyx frowned indignantly. "Like, what? About how far you took it for Roxas?" he demanded snappily.

"It's not the same thing."

"It's _exactly_ the same thing!" Demyx declared loud enough that Axel had to clap a hand over his mouth to silence him. When he thought Demyx had calmed a bit and was sure no one was around he removed the hand. "I love him," Demyx said with quiet desperation. "You of all people must know it's possible, even for us."

"You _think_ you're in love with him."

"Even so…that's as good as the real thing, isn't it? Seeing him sad makes me hurt inside so much Axel, _please_. His father's heart, I have to find it."

"You're willing to risk Xemnas's wrath over this." It was more statement than question. He'd never seen Demyx so determined about ANYTHING and he felt like they'd been friends since the beginning of time.

"Xemnas can kiss my ass," Demyx muttered irritably. "Even if I can't be with him…even if I die…I can't bear to see him so lonely. He has some kind of emptiness that I'm not enough to fill. I can't bear to see him like this. So…Axel PLEASE, I'll never ask you for anything ever again."

"…yes you will, but I'll help you out anyway. Sort of. I know where the heart you're looking for is…but it's gonna be trouble."

"I expected…"

"No, you don't understand, Demyx. That heart is special somehow. Xemnas has it locked up in his personal rooms. I don't know how you expect to get it from there, but even if you do…he'll definitely come after you. You need to…"

"It's worth it!" Demyx didn't even let him finish. "I've learned something," he said more quietly. "Something really important that we've missed up until now. Hearts are very powerful things but…they're also very fragile, Axel. We've missed that…that they're so fragile. To protect Leon's heart, I have to get back Laguna's. What happens to me is irrelevant as long as I can do that much."

Axel shook his head. "He said something about going to Twilight Town," he said. "Tomorrow. That'll probably be your only chance. I really hope you understand what you're getting into. This is as much as I can help you out."

Demyx nodded. "It's enough. Thanks."

"Demyx…"

"Get going," Demyx said, forcing a cheap smile. "Before Roxas realizes you aren't there."

"…yeah."

--

_Cause_ _when there's you, I feel whole  
And there's no better feeling in the world  
But without you I'm alone  
And I'd rather be in love with you_

Leon wasn't completely sure what it was like to have a nervous breakdown, but he had a sinking suspicion that it was something like this. His father, who he'd presumed dead long ago, was comatose and the only sign of life he had was the series of beeps that scientific devices would give to claim he had life in his body yet. Leon took the time out of every day to give him at least a passable sponge bath because if his own son couldn't do at least that much for him then he wasn't much of a son—trimmed his nails when they needed it, combed his hair and saw that he had fresh clothes and bedding. Demyx had been a huge help in all of this, running back and forth to get him things whenever he asked and always making sure to bring him food when it was time to eat and he'd forgotten...except now...Demyx was gone...snuck off like a thief in the night.

Leon picked up the brief letter again: _'Leon, I thought of something that might help your father. Hang in there. Be back soon. Love, Demyx.'_ There wasn't anything more to it than that, just a short note explaining why Demyx wasn't where he most needed him: here, at his side. Leon crumpled the letter again and tossed it angrily across the room...before on second thought picking it up and ironing it out with work-calloused hands, folding it neatly and returning it to his pocket. He wasn't sure how many times he'd had this same tantrum since Demyx had left—too many. He felt like he was losing his mind and kept snapping at people when they even deigned to breath on Laguna wrong. He couldn't take this. AT ALL. Demyx had been gone for a week. Before he could handle a month with Demyx gone, but that was before. Now Demyx had supposedly given up everything for him...and was still gone. It felt entirely unfair. He needed Demyx HERE, or he needed to go with him. Just sitting around like this...he felt like he might lose his mind. There was no one else he could depend on, no, not depend-rely. He relied on Demyx. He'd probably never admit it out loud but that's how it was. _So where the hell was he?!_

--

Committing murder is easy, getting away with it—that's the hard part. Demyx had heard something like that once and now as he held the lockbox containing Laguna's heart tight against his chest he'd really begun to understand. Getting Laguna's heart out of Xemnas's room while he was away—piece of cake. Getting it out of The World That Never Was: not so much. And even then, getting it to Laguna without being caught...troublesome would have been the understatement of the century. Being in love could be hard—it made you attempt the impossible. Demyx had been to almost ten different worlds in the period of a week and a half and none of them were the one he was aiming for. He was purposely leaving a scattered trail. He was sure that once Laguna's heart was back in his chest Leon would be able to find a way to keep it there. It was the getting that was the hard part.

It was the middle of the night when he finally managed to return to Radiant Garden. Leon was asleep by his father's bed again, looking thinner and more haggard than he'd ever seen him and for a moment, Demyx considered waking him, but no, he needed sleep. Instead, he broke the lock on the block and moved to open the box.

"So you show your true colors at last," Cloud said from the doorway.

Demyx jumped. "True? Oh n-no, it's not what you think!" Leon woke as the box clattered to the floor when Demyx dove out of the way of a vicious attack from the blonder

"Funny, because I see a guy in a black coat with an ominous looking box, I think it means trouble."

_Why are we afraid to be in love?  
To be loved  
I can't explain it  
I know it's tough to be loved_

Laguna's heart drifted up from the floor and back into his chest as a bright pink light. Leon blinked, stared as his father shifted slightly in his sleep, then at the two blonds. That coat. He knew that coat. He'd seen it before. But, it couldn't be... "Demyx...?" He wanted an explanation, but he had a sinking feeling it was all too clear.

"Leon it's not how it looks, honest!" Demyx demanded, dodging another one of Cloud's brutal slashes of the sword. He yelped. "Tell your friend to stop trying to kill me!" he wailed.

Laguna stirred groggily, blinking open aqua eyes and sitting up slowly with a large yawn. "Maaan, feels like I've been sleeping forever," he whined before blinking. "Hey. Where am I?"

"...you're a nobody," Leon blanketed to the man he thought he loved—a man he thought he knew, but who now looked so much like a stranger.

Demyx burst into tears and nodded.

"Squall?" Laguna asked, blinking again. He had no idea what was going on. But... "...you grew your hair."

Leon stared at Demyx for a few long moments and even Cloud didn't dare break the silence as the brunette processed all that was going on. Demyx had lied to him. He wasn't even a real person. He'd told him so many things, been so...intimate...

"Leon, I...it's not that I didn't but..." Demyx shifted. "You're mad. Aren't you?"

There was a long silence broken only by Laguna's chattering which sounded mostly like background noise. "Hey, what's going on? Where are we? Squall, who are these people?"

"...Get Out," Leon said finally.

"Leon..."

"GET OUT!" Leon hollered. "If I...If I ever see your face again I swear to any god who wants to listen I'll kill you! Get OUT GET OUT GET OUT!!"

Terrified by his lover's uncharacteristic rage, Demyx yelped and warped out of there on the spot. It didn't matter where he was going, spiraling through darkness, it was oddly comforting really, so familiar. Leon and he had fought before but...not like that. Leon had never...gotten that angry. Usually Demyx was the one to throw a fit. Loving someone...was so very, very hard. He didn't know if he'd ever find a way to survive it in one piece.

--

_And when there's you, I feel whole  
And there's no better feeling in the world  
But without you I'm alone_

_And I feel you holding me_

"Squall?" Laguna asked again. "What's going on?"

"It's a long story," Leon answered exhaustively sinking into the chair. Was that it? It was over? Of course it was over. Demyx was a nobody. Nobody's had no hearts—they couldn't love. It had all just been an illusion. Hollow and now he was alone again.

"I like stories," Laguna said, and Cloud had the common sense to get out of the room and leave Leon with the one person left who might be able to offer him some kind of comfort. He'd never been that close to Leon. They got along and he was a little protective of the brunette—who often seemed like he couldn't be as strong as he acted like he was...but they didn't talk. They didn't confide. If Leon couldn't confide in his own father, than it was a pretty messed up affair, right? Right. So he got the hell out of the room.

"...you won't like this one," Leon answered.

Laguna offered a sympathetic smile. "Even the sad ones are still worth telling."

Leon could practically still feel Demyx curled up against him late at night, dozing off to some movie that neither of them were all that interested in in the first place. Why did it feel so real all of a sudden, that physical embrace. It was because, he was sure, that the physical part of their relationship had been the only part of it he was sure was real.

"Squall?"

"When you had to leave Julia behind, was it painful? So painful you could hardly breathe?" Leon asked at last. His chest ached. Even if Demyx had just been an illusion, Leon was sure his feelings, at least, had been real.

"No," Laguna answered softly, getting up onto unsteady legs and biting his lip against a cramp to wrap his arms around his son. They'd never been close like this before, but someone had to give the brunette a hug or he might fall to pieces and he was his father, so it was only right that it be him. "...but when I had to leave Raine behind...yes."

"...mother..." Leon had never called her that before, but clinging to the illusion of a family was better than thinking about what he'd lost, so he let his head drop onto Laguna's shoulder. "...does it stop hurting?"

"...a little," Laguna answered. "...a little bit at a time."

Maybe not as a father, but as someone who had known this same pain, Laguna was the only person he had left to depend on. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Laguna asked, teasing a little to try to lift some of the somber mood.

Leon was silent for a long moment before saying, "...no."

_--_

_And I'd rather be in love  
Yes, I'd rather be in love  
Oh, I'd rather be in love with you_

It was so much easier to love than to forgive. Demyx didn't know if Leon's temper would ever cool, but as for his own feelings...even nobodys could love. He was sure of it! ...now he just had to find some way to prove that to a man who felt lonely, lost, and betrayed. ...and he had to somehow escape Xemnas's wrath long enough to do so.

--

_To Reviewers:_

_manic the hedgehog:_ No need to beg. I have every intention of continuing...just finding the time is a bit of an issue lately.

_XxOathkeeper_: No need to thank me. Laguna is my favorite too and well, I'll admit if there's even the smallest reason to weasel him into a storyline I do it. Haha. Hope you don't mind a bit more angst. I've gotten to 'that part' of the story.

_Bakamonkey13: _Aw! Don't cry! Glad you like the story, but this chapter has been another tear-jerker if you're the crying type...next one might be too.

_Red:_ No Zombies Please! I'm working as fast as I can, honest. My free time is just unpredictable these days.

_Kichi Hisaki_: Good for the soul? Haha, my insanity has never been called QUITE that before, but I do approve. Yeah, I'm a little crazy and my plot is too, but hey, maximum drama for maximum emotional reaction, right? So we get a little emotional. I don't believe in doing things halfway if I can help it. :p


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Life hates me. Seriously. I'm buried in projects again, but rest assured, this is the top of my completion list…it's just…taking longer than planned…

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairing: LeonDemyx

**Having Heart**

**Chapter 6: Goodbye To You**

_Of all the things I've believed in  
I just want to get it over with  
Tears form behind my eyes  
But I do not cry  
Counting the days that pass me by_

Squall Leonheart coped the best way he knew how—he returned to Radiant Garden and drowned himself in his work. Laguna, having nowhere else to go, followed...and tried to stop him to no avail. "Squuuaaaallll," the man whined childishly from where he sat perched atop the brick wall to Leon's right. "Come oooon, don't be such a stick in the mud, give me a tour!" His tone of voice could only be described as 'play with me!'

"Cloud, do me a favor, give Laguna a tour."

The blonde had been hanging around a lot lately, and throw that on top of Laguna being alive and extremely well...looking as if he hadn't aged a day since Squall had last seen him almost a decade ago, and Leon found he didn't think of Demyx much because he was constantly being thrown off kilter. ...at least during the day. At night, left to his own devices, he still thought about it though, and dreamed.

The first two weeks after their rather dramatic break-up Squall hardly spoke to anyone and spent every free moment cleaning house until his fingers were raw and his palms chafed. It had been about a month now and he was still finding evidence of Demyx's presence in his living space—a dirty blonde hair on the couch, a sweater that he was sure was ALWAYS going to carry his former lover's scent. Laguna told him little by little the pain would ease, now he found himself counting the days as if some magical number was going to come when he didn't wake up feeling stifled by the empty side of a bed suddenly far too large for one. He'd always been good at hiding his feelings, but this...everyone tiptoed around him, even Yuffie, and if Yuffie noticed something was wrong then he was definitely losing his touch.

"He's your father, you do it," Cloud said.

"I'm busy," Leon replied.

"No you're not. You've been painting the same door for three hours. You haven't dipped the brush in the paint in over two."

He had to hand it to Cloud. He had a way of taking a large, red 'Busted' sign and slamming it hard into your forehead when you needed it the least.

Leon stopped and frowned at the blonde. "Why are you even here?" he demanded as if Cloud wasn't welcome in his own home.

Cloud had the grace to look uncomfortable.

"He's your friend and he's worried about you!" Laguna declared, jumping off the wall and poking him in the chest. "Don't be so mean. We know you're going through a hard time right now but..."

A hard time? A hard... "Mind your own damn business!" he snapped, grabbing the paint bucket and moving to another door that may or may not have needed painting. "You two just...just go make puppy eyes at each other somewhere else and leave me to angst in peace!" he snapped, causing them both to blink in surprise at his tantrum.

Laguna blinked. It wasn't like his son to yell, but then again, it seemed as if he'd changed a lot since their last encounter. Not so much that he lacked a certain 'Squall-ness' but enough to notice. But what exactly was going through the heartbroken young man's head? Seriously? Puppy eyes?

"…Come on. I'll take you on that tour."

Cloud's quiet voice made Laguna jump a little and with one last look back at the tension in Leon's shoulders. He nodded and more subdued than usual, followed along. He may be a bit oblivious about some things, but if you told him often enough that you needed time alone, he'd eventually catch on. "Ah, yeah. Okay."

_I've been searching deep down in my soul  
Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old  
It feels like I'm starting all over again  
The words you said were just pretend_

Once they were gone Leon stopped pretending to work. It was in vain anyway. He wasn't getting anything done but he needed to at least appear as if he was holding himself together—especially in front of Laguna. He may not be much of a son and Laguna might not be much of a father, but he still had a certain irrational desire for Laguna to be proud of him. His subconscious translated this as a pressing desire to appear strong and disciplined and self-sufficient when in reality he'd never felt more weak and alone.

And as we all know, Darkness preys on the weak, and our very specific darkness has a name-Xemnas, intent to work his wicked ways on Squall Leonheart's currently somewhat vulnerable state. He wasn't fool enough to make the house call himself. Squall was stubborn and even as depressed as he was his hatred for Xemnas wouldn't be easy to overcome. Instead, he sent Saix to do the dirty work of pulling the brunette into the darkness. Saix was always glad to cause a little mischief, but certain beings had other plans as he approached. Leon didn't hear him, but he did hear a loud "haaiiiyaaah!" and something crashing through a wall, which caused him to jolt to his feet and turn as Yuffie declared "TOUCHDOWN!" swinging her arms in the air in a somewhat U-shape, sitting on Saix's back…in the middle of a large pile of broken cement. She proceeded to grab Saix's ear and pull hard. "No molesting our Squally!" she demanded. "He's not himself right now."

"Ow, insane, good-for-nothing…stupid…" Saix started to complain before throwing a tantrum of his own with all appropriate flair. "GET THE HELL OFF!" He got up, flinging Yuffie, and she was lucky that Leon managed to catch her before she broke anything else—her spine included. She stuck her tongue out at Saix, who was dusting off the dark sleeves of his coat with a sigh. "I guess it'll have to be the hard way," he muttered darkly.

Everyone, Leon realized, was very worried about him and wanted to do what they could for him. Even if they didn't always have the best way of showing it made it nonetheless true. Getting back in touch with that quiet understanding lifted some of the ache in his heart. He may not have found the true love he thought he'd had, but he wasn't alone. There were people who cared about him. Until he found some way to forget about Demyx that would be enough. It had to be.

"You're not welcome here," he said. "If you want to live, then disappear."

"Oh? And here I thought you might want to know that your beloved is …"

"That has _nothing_ to do with me," Leon snapped before Saix could even finish.

"Yeah!" Yuffie declared. "So you know, shoo!" She made shooing gestures at him and stuck out her tongue, pulling down the skin below her right eye with a 'nyaaah!'

_Goodbye to you  
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew  
You were the one I loved  
The one thing that I tried to hold on to  
The one thing that I tried to hold on to_

Demyx wasn't spying, not exactly—at least, once again not on purpose. He thought maybe Leon had cooled off a bit and if that was true then maybe, just maybe, he could explain and they could go back to the way things were. Even if he had a heart, everything he'd done he did for Leon's sake and he was sure if he just explained what had really happened his lost lover would understand. But he had to talk to him alone, _had to_, and that brings us to obstacle #1—Laguna and Cloud stuck by Leon's side like fleas stuck to a dog. Somehow though, he'd gotten fed up with them and they'd left. He thought that was his chance, but then all of a sudden Saix was there talking about the hard way! No! He couldn't let Saix kill his Leon before he straightened things out with him! He couldn't let Saix kill his Leon at all. Ever. A person who could feel like this, long like this…he wasn't sure anymore that hearts were something physical that you could just give and take at will. If he'd lost his somewhere, then he was sure it had somehow left the most important part behind—the part that made him Demyx, the guy who loved Squall Leonheart more than anything else in the whole world. Leon would somehow understand that, wouldn't he? That even if he wasn't _technically_ human, his feelings were still real.

That said he probably wasn't thinking to clearly when he saw Saix pull out what Demyx most often called his 'ginormous stabby thing' because if he was thinking clearly he might have summoned some water clones rather than screaming "yaaaaah!" and tackling the blue haired man. When the smoke from the rubble cleared it was to reveal Demyx with a rather angry puppy demeanor…teeth latched onto Saix's arm. "Have you _completely lost your mind?!"_ Saix demanded. Honestly! Demyx had done some extremely stupid things and some extremely bizarre things, but he'd just officially reached new levels of bizarrely stupid.

Leon could only blink. Was this some kind of weird dream? Demyx just started wailing on Saix with girly little slaps all over the place and demanding he "Leave my Leon alone! I haven't lost my mind! I haven't I haven't I haven't, and if you kill him I'll _cry_ you big meanie!"

Lately, everything had been spiraling totally out of Leon's control. He didn't approve. He was used to being in control but ever since Demyx stumbled into his life it kind of felt like he was hanging out of a window twenty stories up with only his toes clinging to the sill waiting for the inevitable drop and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. Demyx's return had just made that recurring waking nightmare even worse. Now on top of it all he could imagine himself hanging from that window…butt naked. Yep, right about now, with Demyx there apparently defending him—badly or otherwise—Squall Leonheart was feeling terribly exposed. This man…he'd loved him so much. It wasn't fair for him to storm back into his life after he was _finally_ starting to come to terms with the loss. He'd sworn the next time he saw Demyx he'd kill him—now he knew he couldn't do it and would probably never be able to. He hated that loving somebody could make him feel so weak and helpless—especially since that somebody was a nobody. He shook his head. "I'm leaving," he muttered, picking up his things and turning on his heel.

Demyx's biting and slapping stopped abruptly at Leon's declaration and he jumped to his feet, chasing after him. "Leon, wait! Can we talk a minute?" he pleaded.

"There's nothing to say," Leon returned, not daring to stop and look into those ocean blue eyes.

"Then _listen_!" Demyx demanded, launching himself to cling to Leon's arm.

Saix was torn. On the one hand...go against a direct order. On the other...make Demyx cry. "If not me, then someone else," he said. "Xemnas has made up his mind." And with that a vortex opened up and he disappeared. Apparently even Saix thought making Demyx cry was pretty unforgivable. Demyx was just so cute and innocent. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

_--_

_I still get lost in your eyes  
And it seems that I can't live a day without you  
Closing my eyes and you chase my thoughts away  
To a place where I am blinded by the light  
But it's not right_

Leon relented. Even if Demyx wasn't human...and Demyx could seem so human... And anyway, he knew he wouldn't be able to get Demyx to leave unless he heard him out first. That's just the type of person the blonde was. After a few minutes of Demyx clinging to him and Leon walking in silence he found a quiet, private place to sit down—it was just a short stretch of stairs, mostly secluded between two walls, but it would do. "If you want to talk, then talk, but don't expect much."

Demyx fidgeted. Took a few steps one way, then another…and finally started his story with "Last time…you got really mad and didn't let me tell you what happened. I…want you to know what happened. It wasn't how it looked and…please just let me tell you…"

Leon didn't say anything and didn't look directly at his former boyfriend. Demyx took this to mean it was okay to continue and related—with all due emotion and tears due the overzealous former Organization member—the story of how he stole Laguna's heart from Xemnas's personal quarters and so on and so forth. Leon listened quietly until the blonde finished. It wasn't that he didn't believe him. When Demyx was so earnest he couldn't not. When he finished the blonde dropped to his knees in front of Leon and looked up to get a glimpse of his eyes. The smoke gray orbs that looked back at him were mostly unreadable. "Leon, please? Believe me? Don't be angry with me anymore?"

The ache in Leon's chest came back. "Whether I do or not doesn't matter anymore," Leon returned, pulling to his feet. Not again. He couldn't live a lie like this.

"Leon…?"

_And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time  
I want what's yours and I want what's mine  
I want you  
But I'm not giving in this time_

"…even if everything you say is true…" Leon said, taking a few steps away as if getting some distance from Demyx could somehow make it easier to breathe. "…and it's not that I don't believe you…but…" 'No, don't falter. Don't look at him. If you turn around and look into his eyes even once, you've lost,' Leon thought. "…It doesn't change the fact that you aren't human," he said. "You don't have a heart."

"I still love you!" Demyx insisted. "Leon, please! Turn around, look at me!" Demyx couldn't keep the tears from pouring down his cheeks. He felt like he'd had that nonexistent heart broken _again_ and stomped all over. "I…"

Leon swallowed the lump in his throat. "You might think so," he said. "But those feelings you think you have…they aren't real. I believe that you _think_ what you're saying is true, but…" he sighed a little. "Goodbye is the only thing I have left to say to you. Please just…don't come around again. I don't want to see you again."

_And when the stars fall  
I will lie awake  
You're my shooting star_

Maybe someday, there would be a real person, a human being, who had the same qualities that Demyx had, the things he'd grown to so adore…before finding out they were just a shadow of true love. Leon decided he'd wish for that. Demyx was his ideal, but he just wasn't able to accept an illusion of love in place of the genuine article.

Demyx watched Leon disappear around the corner before bursting out into heart wrenching sobs. A person without a heart…shouldn't be able to hurt like this. He'd given up everything for Leon only to be turned away. So what the hell…was he supposed to do now?

He lifted his head at the familiar feeling pulling at him—a vortex of darkness had just opened somewhere nearby. He didn't have to but stand up to find Saix leaning against a nearby wall, arms crossing his chest. He wiped his eyes roughly, but it didn't to much to heal the ache in his chest or stop the flow of tears. "…you know, if you come back now, he'll forgive you. The price isn't very high, all things considered."

'So', Demyx thought a little bitterly, 'they knew how this was going to end up all along'. "…what does he want?"

"Don't you already know?"

Demyx looked at Saix for an extended moment before turning a dejected gaze to the corner Leon had disappeared around for a long moment before looking back at Saix again.

"So?" Saix asked.

Demyx nodded weakly in reply and let Saix lead him back into the darkness where he, apparently, belonged.

--

_To Reviewers:_

_A lot of you had the same things to say this time around, so I'll address you all as a group because well, I'm actually low on time and I want to upload this quickly._

_Silver Tears 11, YinYangWhiteTiger, leaf the invisible, Glass Prince Riku, & Manic the Hedgehog_: Thank you so much for the enthusiastic reviews. Reviewers like you are what keep me inspired even when I'm buried neck deep in projects waiting to be completed. You guys seriously rock, especially those of you who find it in yourselves to review repeatedly. It makes me feel all happy-gooey on the inside. Yes, Demyx and Leon need some serious love! I certainly do like to torture them, don't I? Well, there will be a LITTLE more torture. This story will probably go on for about 2 more chapters, sooo, hang in there and expect some more love angst soon—which is…about as soon as I can get around to it.__


	7. Chapter 7

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairing: Leon x Demyx

**Having Heart**

**Chapter 7: Here With Me**

_It's been a long, long time since I looked into the mirror  
I guess that I was blind  
Now my reflection's getting clearer  
Now that you're gone things will never be the same again_

Laguna Loire was both an impossibly simple and excessively complicated man. No matter how much Squall Leonheart thought about it there was really no other way to describe him. Most of the time he thought his father was probably the biggest, dorkiest, most foolhardy idiot on this world or any other world—but then sometimes he would say something so amazing that it altered everything and everyone around him. If Leon was a leader by necessity and ability, Laguna was a leader by charisma and charm. He still couldn't see much of his father in himself, but that was neither here nor there. What was here was that Laguna had said something to him seemingly out of thin air that made Leon realize he'd been a complete jackass—not to mention stupid, very, very stupid. He said, "_You know, having heart, I think, isn't so much about what's inside of you as much as how you affect the things around you."_

This statement made Leon feel very, very stupid. If you went by Laguna's definition, then the person who had the most 'heart' was almost undoubtedly Demyx. He put the razor down and stared at his reflection in the mirror, looking down to rinse his face off for only an instant before staring again. 'You, Squall Leonheart,' he thought. 'Are a fool.' The thing about regrets: by the time you have them it's already too late...and it had taken Laguna Loire, his simpleton of a father, to make him realize it. His shoulders sagged and he sighed. "Too little, too late," he muttered. Even if Demyx wasn't human, even if he didn't have a heart...he could still laugh, and cry...and Leon had made him cry.

And more importantly still, now he was gone. Depression hit again, hard. Right when he thought he was doing fine, could pull through...Laguna said something that made him like this—barely able to hold it together when no one was looking, and the worst of it was he was pretty sure everyone knew. The worst part of knowing that you're wrong is knowing that you can't take it back.

_There's not a minute that goes by every hour of every day  
You're such a part of me  
But I just pulled away  
Well, I'm not the same guy  
you used to know  
I wish I said the words I never showed_

But he could only mope about the house so long. When it came to Radiant Garden, he was sure if he spent long enough moping something was going to break that he was the only one who knew how to fix—he was pretty sure his friends were just conspiring against him, but at least it gave him an excuse to, for a little while, be angry at something other than himself.

Today though, was somewhat different. Laguna suddenly barged into the room when he was in the middle of pulling his shirt on. "Squall! There's trouble!" he insisted, panting as if he'd just run a marathon.

"What? You blew up the toaster again?" he asked. Yes, Laguna had managed this feat...more than once. He'd also managed falling off at least two cliffs in his life—Laguna was all about making the same stupid mistake over and over again.

Laguna shook his head vehemently, trying to catch his breath. "Cloud," he said. "He's..." pant wheeze. "Damn it, I'm getting too old for this..."

"Just spit it out, Laguna."

"We were attacked, out in um, you know, by that castle thingy. Cloud is fighting now."

Leon nodded and threw on his jacket quickly, grabbing his gunblade. "Show me where."

Laguna nodded. He'd run all the way here to get Leon. He wondered if he should have stayed to fight instead but Cloud had insisted that Leon _had to _be there for this. He hoped he'd made the right choice. He paused a moment halfway there. "Squall."

"This isn't a good time for a father/son chat," Leon returned.

"It's not that...it's...the person who..."

"Just spit it out already!" Leon snapped. He hadn't meant to, but really, couldn't Laguna just say what was on his mind while they were moving?! His best friend was apparently in trouble, and even if he complained about what a pain in the ass Cloud could be most of the time that didn't mean he didn't want him in one piece.

"...the person who attacked us...it was Demyx."

Leon's eyes widened. What? Demyx had? No, Demyx wasn't like that! "That's impossible," he stated. "Hurry up and show me the way."

Laguna cast him a pitying glance. He might not want to believe it, but it was true. It had definitely been Demyx.

...and because it was Demyx, Cloud had a very hard time fighting him with his full abilities. Sure, he'd been the primary advocate of the anti-Demyx Club, but his best friend was really attached to this guy even now—not that he'd admit to it—and that meant something. He wasn't sure it meant all that much, but it at least meant that Leon should be here for this—see what type of person Demyx was, or something. Whatever the case he was positive that this attack had very little to do with him. It was actually more about luring Leon out. Luring him out for what was a question he decided he didn't want to answer.

_I know you had to go away  
I died just a little, and I feel it now  
You're the one I need  
I believe that I would cry just a little  
Just to have you back now  
Here with me  
Here with me_

Leon felt his breath catch in his throat as they made it to the cliff face. The person Cloud was fighting definitely looked like Demyx, and as he screamed "Dance!" Leon was sure he sounded like Demyx too, but Demyx wouldn't do this kind of thing. And if it was Demyx, then he was being manipulated somehow.

Cloud sliced through two water clones with his buster sword but it seemed mostly half hearted—he wasn't trying to get in too close or damage Demyx as much as he was on the defensive—a stance the spiky-haired blonde was not known to take.

The would-be battle gave pause though as Demyx looked up and met Leon's gaze. He felt like time stood still. A deep pain flickered through the water-wielder's blue eyes that Leon understood too well—he understood that he was the cause and that it was possible there was nothing he could say or do to fix it. 'I'm sorry' would never be enough.

Without warning two of the clones shot away from Cloud and launched straight at Leon. He had no warning really before Laguna suddenly shoved him out of the way and crashed to the ground roughly.

"Laguna!" He'd opened his mouth to say it, but Cloud apparently did so a moment before because the blonde had soon dodged and dove, guarding the elder of the brunettes—also not very Cloud-like behavior but not something Leon was in any position to think about right now. The clones hung back, as if taking pity on the man they hadn't really meant to hit. Laguna coughed up a mouthful of water and managed to get back to his feet. He may be a bit older than he once was (though he didn't really look it), but that didn't make him a weakling.

"...take him back to Merlin's house," Leon said.

Cloud glanced at Leon. "...I know you've always helped me out when I needed it," Leon said slowly, not used to having to elaborate much with Cloud, "...but there are limits to what even you can do. I just got him back, I don't want to see him do something stupid and get himself killed now."

"Hey!" Laguna protested. Honestly! Squall could be so mean!

"Just get lost," Leon sighed. "...this is personal."

Cloud didn't need anything more to be said, giving Laguna a little nudge of the lower back. Demyx seemed to be fine with waiting until they'd left. Leon was right, this had nothing to do with them, and Demyx figured, if he couldn't be happy, somebody should be. But how happy would Laguna be if his son was taken away after just being reunited? No, now was no time to think about that. He shook his head vehemently to clear it of those thoughts. He liked Laguna, he was a nice guy, and kind and smart, no matter what anyone else (Leon included) thought of him. But that was all neither here nor there. He'd come back for Leon—to finish whatever was between them once and for all—be it love or just mutual misery. He'd come for Leon's heart—that was the price for Xemnas's forgiveness. They'd convinced him it wasn't much to pay, all things considered. In a way, they were right. Demyx had abandoned them, and then he'd outright betrayed them, all for Leon. If you take things full circle this was sort of like poetic justice. But just because it was poetic justice didn't make it easy.

_You know that silence is loud when all you hear is your heart  
And I wanted so badly just to be a part of something strong and true  
But I was scared and left it all behind_

He sent his water clones spiraling toward Leon again. When it came down to it, he really wasn't much of a fighter and he didn't know why it had to come down to something he felt he was destined to lose, but Leon didn't fight back, not really. He defended himself, but even that was half-hearted, like he knew he deserved what he got and moving to avoid it was just a soldier's instinct. It went on for a good ten minutes before Leon's sword arm lowered and he said, "Demyx...can we talk?"

Those words made Demyx somehow very, very angry. Talk? He wanted to talk? _Now?!_ It was too late to talk now! "I don't have anything to say to you!" he declared, fighting with the tears that wanted to start to pool in his lower lids and blossom down his cheeks. He managed to keep them in after extreme efforts.

Leon winced a little. He deserved that. Demyx had just used his own words against him. "I guess, I deserve that," he said sullenly. "And I know 'I'm sorry' isn't enough..."

"Damn straight it's not!" Demyx snapped back angrily, sending another attack at the brunette. This time Leon hardly bothered to block. He knew he deserved to get hit for being such a stubborn, selfish idiot. And the fact that it had taken Laguna Loire to absently point that out really grated on Squall Leonheart's nerves. He couldn't fight back against Demyx—for one, he deserved a good beating after all he'd put the smaller man through. The other reason was much simpler: because it was Demyx and in spite of all his stupid, stubborn pride, he really had never stopped loving him, not even for the time it takes to exhale. But Demyx was basically a gentle-natured guy—against someone who wouldn't even fight back his attacks became half-hearted pretty quickly and soon stopped entirely, the water clones splashing down around the rock face.

_And I'm asking  
And I'm wanting you to come back to me  
Please?_

Demyx stomped his foot a little childishly. "Hurry up and fight back! You're supposed to make it hard for me so I can hate you properly!" he demanded. If he could only hate Leon, then he wouldn't have to have any regrets about going back to the way things were.

Leon didn't say anything for a long moment, trying to capture Demyx's gaze. He wasn't good with words—every time he tried to say something important he picked the wrong important thing to say and ruined everything. "…I'm tired of fighting with you," he said at last, sheathing his gunblade. "I'd do anything, give you whatever you asked for, if I could take back the words that made you cry and make you come back to me." He knew it couldn't be that simple. Nothing was ever that simple, especially nothing involving love. Leon was starting to think the smallest words were usually the ones used to describe the hardest, most complex concepts. His feelings for Demyx though, had somehow very quickly become startlingly simple—it was the situation that complicated everything. Words, at first, seem like such simple things—but they're brutal and unforgiving—not at all like a sword wound which can heal or the empty cartridge of a gun that can be refilled, words can never be taken back or replaced—and words are what he'd hurt Demyx with the most. He understood that now.

The tears that had threatened to spill earlier came back now without warning and pooled in Demyx's eyes. He struggled to keep them there and therefore keep some small portion of dignity. "Then give me your heart!" he demanded. "That's what I came for! It has nothing to do with _you_, not anymore."

Leon's gaze softened a little and he said, "Demyx…you've had it since the beginning. You never let it go even once, as much as I wanted you to." He knew it wasn't exactly what Demyx meant, but it was the only real answer he had to give. "If you've come to finish the job, then finish it. I won't fight."

Demyx stared for a long moment, then shook his head, choking on his own words and turning away so that Leon couldn't see the tears begin to tumble down his cheeks. "Having your heart…it's not enough," he said quietly, "if I've lost _You_."

Xemnas be damned. The only place Leon's heart meant anything was inside of Leon. And Demyx figured, even if he couldn't be with him, there were still people who needed Leon. It had nothing to do with love, he would keep telling himself that. It was just…Laguna, Cloud…everyone would be sad if something happened to Leon. It had nothing to do with what was between them. It didn't. He shook his head, opening up a vortex of darkness. He'd make it up to Xemnas some other way, this task…it was something he just couldn't do.

Leon wanted to say something lame and cheesy about how things that were lost could be found but couldn't force his lips around the words. It was over, that's what Demyx walking through the vortex without another word told him. It was over. He couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Even if he didn't want to let go he knew his words weren't easy to forgive.

_I never will forget that look upon  
your face  
How you turned away and left  
without a trace  
But I understand that you did what you had to do  
And I thank you_

At least now he felt like he had some kind of closure. Demyx had walked away from him this time. Leon sighed and slid down to lean against the rock face and clear his thoughts, ignoring the ache in his chest. 'Hyne, I screwed up so badly,' he thought. 'I've got no one to blame but myself.'

He didn't get to think for long. The rock behind him shook and he stood up. Since when did Radiant Garden have earthquakes? Just as the thought came into his mind he saw Tifa rounding the corner with Yuffie not far behind, panting for breath as she struggled to keep up with the brute of a woman's longer strides. "Leon!"

The women looked rather startled to find he was alone on the cliff. "What are you doing?" he asked. "The whole mountain shook."

"Eh heh heh," Tifa grinned a little. "Cloud said you might need a savior or two. I guess I got a little overzealous."

Leon glanced at where Demyx had been just moments before and said, "…he was wrong." It was more than a little depressing, but Leon couldn't really complain. 'After all,' he thought. 'I wouldn't forgive me either.' At least now it was over, he figured. It was the most he could hope for considering how badly he'd screwed up.

_I know you had to go away  
I died just a little, and I feel it now  
You're the one I need  
I believe that I would cry just a little  
Just to have you back now  
Here with me  
Here with me_

Axel quirked a brow as Demyx collapsed against his lap in despair. "Couldn't do it, after all?" he asked. Demyx burst into tears, muttering something mostly incomprehensible about it being a lot easier to love someone than it is to forgive them.

--

_A/N: Much faster this time, wasn't I? Rest assured this is NOT THE END. (Even if Leon and Demyx think it is :p). Next chapter coming…soonish…I hope._

_To Reviewers:_

_Silver Tears 11, Manic the Hedgehog, & Leaf the Invisible: _Thanks for your repeated reviews. I love you all, and I didn't make you wait long this time! This chapter was angsty too, huh? But I HAD to do it.

The next chapter is the last of the story guys! So wait for it with happily baited breath! (but not too baited. I don't want you to keel over and die on me.)__


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: This is it guys, the _last chapter_ of Leon x Demyx Love. To thank you for all your awesomeness and often entertaining reviews, there will be a little surprise for you at the end, so make sure to read the A/N at the end of the story or you'll miss the surprise!

This is another chapter where the lyrics of the song are all flip-flopped around. Deal with it, 'kay?

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts

Pairing: Leon x Demyx

**Having Heart**

**Chapter 8: Set Me Free**

_You're in my heart  
The only light that shines  
there in the dark  
_

Living, loving, being loved—Demyx was starting to think that maybe they weren't really all they were cracked up to be. Right when you'd managed to get your feet on solid ground you found yourself back where you started making the same mistakes all over again—and the worst part about it all was that it was voluntary.

No matter what he said, Squall Leonheart had somehow planted himself firmly between Demyx's solar plexus and his gag reflex and he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. If the fact that his body couldn't let it go wasn't bad enough, his mind had a mind of it's own! He'd be going about his day seemingly okay—albeit a little too mopey—and then bam—like a tractor trailer careening along at a reckless ninety miles an hour some little nuisance thing made him think of Leon and all was lost.

It was this that had, after almost a month of stubbornness, brought him back to Radiant Garden. There should be a patch, he decided—like those stop smoking patches—only this one should be for people unfortunate enough to be addicted and in love.

It had all somehow come full circle. It was a nice day—a bit too warm as the sun got higher in the sky but bright and mostly pleasant. After spending a good ten minutes yelling at Yuffie and Tifa for sparring in the middle of town and busting through some poor citizen's wall, Leon got to work—a bit exasperated—on repairing it. Well, maybe it wasn't really full circle—Demyx knew all the little signs of Leon's moods and found it impossible to forget them, even after so much time apart.

Still, it was pretty close to starting over, Demyx thought, if he was hiding behind walls, peering past lamp posts, to get a glimpse at the grumpy brunette, terrified of being caught in the act and trying to demand his feet would move, to approach, to say, 'can we please start over?'

_There's a will  
There's a way  
Sometimes words just can't explain  
This is real  
I'm afraid  
I guess this time there's just no hiding, fighting  
You make me restless_

He was terrified. The last time they'd come into contact with one another, Demyx had been the one to walk away, but it had been more reaction than anything else. Proof positive of that: his current state of not-quite stalking. Leon was hard at work as usual, and Demyx found he could just sit there and watch for hours, oddly content just to be able to watch him. He knew these were some pretty unhealthy emotional habits he was developing—that's what Xigbar called them "unhealthy emotional habits" he'd been talking about Axel's more homicidal leanings towards Roxas's other half, but Demyx was pretty sure the same words probably fit his situation pretty well. 'Today, I'll go over for sure,' he thought, and startled when someone suddenly sat down next to him. Close, but not the kind of close that demanded personal space. He looked over and…then his eyes darted to where Leon had been working—gone. How long had he zoned out for?!

Leon _almost_ smiled when Demyx looked back over at him a little sheepishly from being so caught off guard. "I thought this was better," he said finally. "…than you running into another poll." That joke was slightly mean, but Demyx blushed at the memory of their first meeting. A lot had happened since then. Then, they'd thought that nothing could go wrong. New love was so easy—it was the people who managed to overcome obstacles and _stay_ in love—they were the ones who'd earned it. "I…uh…" he sputtered a little.

_Can't you see?  
There's a feeling that's come over me  
Close my eyes  
You're the only one that leaves me completely breathless  
_

It was hard to think of what to say and how to say it. So much had happened, the way they looked at the world had sort of changed. "I think maybe our problem is that I think too much," Leon said at last. "It complicated everything, when it was supposed to be really simple." He leaned back a little, looking up at the clouds passing overhead as if this could clear his thoughts. He wanted to find something simple to say that wasn't easy to misunderstand and would fix everything, but every time he opened his mouth he felt like he had to explain himself. It was this tendency—so like Laguna's penchant for babbling—that kept Leon's lips sealed most of the time, but that was only going to lead to more understandings. He leaned forward, forearms resting against his thighs and sighed. "I know I'm the one to blame."

Demyx stopped him. Leon could be so very awkward and so sweet in that awkwardness. A child taking his first steps had less trouble than Leon did just trying to find the words that would explain his feelings properly. He snatched one of the brunettes hands and felt the stress cascade right off of his shoulders at the startled expression that darted across the brunette's features. Even a stoic guy like Leon could have a really cute side. "I love you," he said earnestly once he managed to catch Leon's gaze—no small chore when the larger male was intent to stare at their joined hands.

Leon squeezed the hand a little tighter. "I know," he answered after a stretch, "I'm sorry for not believing you the first time."

"Aaand…?" Demyx nudged a little.

Leon blinked at him a little, clueless. He was supposed to say something more? Crap…

_No need to wonder why  
Sometimes a gift like this you can't deny  
_

Demyx laughed a little though, letting him off the hook. That was just how Leon was. Not very romantic, maybe, but a sweetheart nonetheless. "Silly," Demyx told him, moving to curl his arms around Leon's shoulders, and curl against his side. This time, he wasn't going to give up for anything. "This is the part where you tell me you love me back. You need to watch more movies."

Leon relaxed a little, embracing him back. "You sure like hearing things you already know," he retorted.

"Mmhm, yes I do. Now say it or else," he said a little more playfully. "Or else."

"Or else?" Leon asked. He'd been about to, but now he wanted to know what that 'or else' was.

"Or eeellllsssee," Demyx said in a bit of a sing-song, "No make-up sex!"

Leon's cheeks flared for the briefest instant before saying, "Well, if that's what's on the line," he returned. "Then I love your back," he said as if he'd misheard, "your front too, and," he pulled Demyx more tightly against him so that the sitar-player was sitting in his lap. "Everything in between too. Satisfied?"

_When I was alone  
You came around  
When I was down  
You pulled me through  
And there's nothing that  
I wouldn't do for you_

"Uh huh," Demyx answered, giving Leon a little peck on the cheek. "For now, but you'll forgive me if from now on you get hit in the head every time you get that 'I'm thinking too much' look on your face."

Leon didn't wait to claim Demyx's lips, relieved that things somehow turned out so well in spite of all that had gone wrong in between. So, maybe love wasn't easy. There were a lot of things in life that weren't easy—it didn't make them any less worth doing. "Fair enough," he breathed between their lips before another series of kisses ensued. They'd stay like that, probably, for a very long time, which was fine, Leon figured—all the assorted broken things in Radiant Garden would still be broken later. The most important thing that needed fixing was his relationship with the adorable male in his arms, and he figured maybe they'd made a pretty decent start.

--

_'Cause I wanted to fly,  
so you gave me your wings  
And time held its breath so I could see, yeah  
And you set me free_

There was something somehow exotic about having sex with your lover in the middle of the day when you were supposed to be doing any number of other things. As he panted for breath and listened to Demyx's heavy breaths coming out against his collar as they came down from the shared high Leon decided he kind of liked it.

Demyx cuddled into his side, bare flesh to bare flesh, and asked sheepishly, "hey…Leon?"

"Hmm?" Leon asked drowsily, he kind of wanted a nap, but was trying to be attentive so Demyx didn't get mad at him.

"Well, y'know…I don't really have…a place or anything…" Demyx stumbled cutely. "So I was thinking…maybe I could move in here, with you?" Blue eyes looked hopefully up at the drowsy brunette.

Leon let him wriggle a moment in worry at the answer before deciding he wasn't all that tired after all and rolling them over so Demyx was pinned beneath him on the left side of the bed and let a series of kisses trail down Demyx's throat before claiming his mouth passionately. Okay, maybe he wasn't as tired as he'd thought. "That's convenient," he said at last. "It's been a real pain, keeping your side of the bed warm."

Demyx moaned softly and wrapped his limbs around Leon once more. Apparently, it was going to be a long afternoon—but he couldn't seem to mind. He couldn't be too angry about their months-long fight either…especially if this is how all their fights were destined to end.

The End

--

_A/N: Okay! That's it for the main story, and now, as promised, here's your surprise! As a thank you to my reviewers who have kept me inspired and always managed to bring a little smile to my face, HAVING HEART will have a bonus chapter featuring a side pairing! (I bet you can guess who). That's right guys, Leon and Demyx's story is finished, but there's going to be a one shot tacked onto the end of this story as a BONUS CHAPTER. Keep an eye out for it. Life permitting, it'll be coming soon._

_To Reviewers:_

_Manic the Hedgehog: _Another short wait for this one too. Yay! I managed to squeeze in a little free time at work, so everyone lucks out with some speed-writing from me.

_Silver Tears 11: _I think you could easily think of it either way, really, but I chose Axel as his shoulder to cry on because I felt that with Axel and Roxas and Leon and Demyx, they shared similar experiences. Of all the people in the Organization I thought Axel was probably the most likely to understand Demyx's situation and how much it hurt to love someone and to lose something very dear to you. So, from my point of view I think of it as more friendship and understanding, but there's a thin line between that and a sort of sibling relationship at times, so it's open to interpretation. Whatever makes you happy.


	9. BONUS CHAPTER: SECOND CHANCES

Fandom: Kingdom Hearts (sort of)

Pairing: it's Cloud x Laguna, did you guess right?

A/N: After a series of lags during the writing of this story, I post the last three updates in as many days. Go figure.

Firstly, I'd like to say if you haven't noticed yet, I like crack pairings. A lot. My dear Fey has gotten me hooked on yet another one. I know it seems a bit odd, but seriously, this is one of the sweetest, most adorable pairings you will ever see in spite of the age difference.

Also, character ages are slightly. Don't get me wrong, there's still a huge age gap between Laguna and Cloud, but in the very slightly alternate universe that is…everything I write, Cloud is a few years older than Leon, just deal with it. Here's why: I'm a final fantasy fan. Let's assume FFVII and FFVIII were happening at the same time (so that Laguna isn't TOO old, heh). In FF7, Cloud was 21. In FF8, Squall was 17. Kingdom Hearts would have you believe that during KH2, Leon was 26 and Cloud was 23. See the problem? As someone whose played all these games, I just can't accept that Cloud is younger than Squall. EVER. Deal with it, alright? It's probably not actually of any importance, but in my mind, Cloud is older. Squall being older, to me, is just all kinds of weird and backwards and I just don't like it. That said, it's probably not at all important to the story below, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

**BONUS: Second Chances**

_Sometimes we get second chances  
And sometimes we never make it past the first  
It really makes you wonder why some things happen when they do  
It really makes me wonder why it wasn't me instead of you_

Lately, Laguna couldn't sleep. It had nothing to do with the noises coming from the next door down, inhabited by his son and newly inhabited by his son's energetic boyfriend. It also, he thought, had very little if anything to do with the blonde who had apparently decided the couch in his new apartment belonged to him between the hours of 12 and 9 AM or the fact he snored—slightly, a quiet but noticeable intake and outtake of breath and not really all that annoying once you were used to it. Raine's snoring had been much worse, and actually, he liked the soft noise, it made him feel slightly less lonely.

No, Laguna Loire was just having a bit of a hard time assimilating. It was one thing to jump from country to country—to live and love and lose and love again—but knowing his entire world had been decimated and getting used to a place where even the air felt foreign…it was hard. He was getting older and found himself growing increasingly reflective and at the same time increasingly restless. It was a difficult position to be in. He wondered how many more regrets were going to pile up before it was all over and decided he really didn't want to think about that either.

Still, it was a nice night. He leaned on the railing of the small balcony outside his window—more of a fire escape, really, but he liked to think of it as a balcony because it gave him such a great view of the night sky—and sighed. The air was getting cooler. Soon he wouldn't be able to stand out here like this: in naught but a pair of chocobo boxer shorts and a faded white t-shirt. He leaned his chin in his hand and let some of the older memories take him away to kill the time.

"_Whenever sang my songs/On the stage, on my own/Whenever said my words/Wishing they would be heard/I saw you smiling at me/Was it real or just my fantasy/You'd always be there in the corner/Of this tiny little bar…" _Laguna didn't have the world's greatest voice for singing, but neither was it the worst. Whatever the case, if he knew someone might be listening in he probably would have considered keeping his mouth shut. "Man, those were the days." He liked thinking back to his time in the Galbadian Army now—everything and everyone was so full of potential then and hopes and dreams seemed so much more possible, so much closer to immediate. Now thinking back he could think 'here's a place where I messed up. Here too.' He'd been so lucky to have Kiros and Ward to support him back then—but now they were gone too. Squall was in that happy honeymoon stage of his relationship with Demyx, so he didn't want to hassle him too much. His machine gun was gone, even his old clothes were gone. Well, at least he still had his dog tags.

He looked down and fiddled with them a bit. _"My last night here for you/Same old songs, just once more_…" he sang softly to himself, continuing with his earlier train of thought. Geez, the nights really were getting a little cold._  
_

Laguna jumped when warm hands draped something over his shoulders and stumbled, almost falling on his ass if not for the strong arm that caught him before he could make too much of a fool of himself. Torn from his thoughts, he blinked up at the sleepy-eyed blonde and his cheeks flared. "Er…"

"You were shivering," Cloud stated by way of explanation as if joining one's best friend's father on the balcony in the middle of the night while you were both in your underwear was a completely normal thing to do.

_And when you say  
It doesn't matter well it does  
And all it takes  
Is a mistake to eat your words  
Just one more time I think I'll stay with you tonight_

Cloud knew it wasn't even remotely normal, especially when the barest touch made his pulse jump into his throat. 'This thing I have for older men is getting out of hand,' he thought. Sephiroth. Vincent. Now Laguna. Well, he'd never admit to that first one but…well, there _had_ been a time, long ago…

Cloud shook his head a bit as if to wake up, but really he was clearing it of that particular line of thought.

Laguna finally righted himself and leaned against the railing again. "Was I," he said quietly, a little shy. "I didn't really notice. It'll be winter before you know it. I hope it snows," he babbled a bit before falling into silence again, burrowing into the blanket a little so that he was only visible beneath it from the collarbone up.

For the first time in his life Cloud found himself searching for conversation. If he ran out of things to say, he wouldn't have an excuse to stay with the man a little longer. "What was that song?"

"Song? Oh! Nothing important, I was just thinking about the past. A woman I knew once wrote it." A little sadness flickered through Laguna's eyes before he smiled at the blonde and said, "but that was a long time ago now." All of those things…Julia. Raine. …they were all gone. Well, at least he still had Squall. Squall had been through so much it was a relief that the worst he had to deal with now was convincing Tifa and Yuffie to leave town when they wanted to spar. He'd found a place to settle down. Laguna thought he'd like to be part of that, but without his world, at an age where he was probably supposed to start thinking about winding down, without Esthar, frankly he was feeling useless and probably annoying.

During the day, Laguna could babble on and on about old stories until his face turned blue, but at night he seemed to be more subdued. Cloud decided he liked both sides of the man, but couldn't make himself say so. If he did, that would be an admission of guilt. "You always do that," he stated after a while, a little exasperated.

Laguna blinked at him. "I always…do that?" he asked.

"When you want to talk you'll tell old stories for hours on end without getting tired or even stopping for breath, but whenever someone asks you anything directly all of a sudden you don't want to talk about it," Cloud said. "It's…I don't like it." He didn't know how else to explain it. He wanted Laguna to talk to him, even if the things he had to say were pointless. He liked the sound of the man's voice, the way he waved his hands around as he talked when he got excited over something. And most especially, he didn't want to struggle for conversation like this.

"I was just thinking about old times," Laguna said, pouting at being called on one of his more irritating habits. He knew he was like that—he could talk a lot, but he always wanted it to be on his terms._ "…_and all the things I screwed up. Those kind of stories... you don't need me to go on about such depressing things."

"…I wouldn't mind," Cloud answered. The first time Laguna had caught his ear and started babbling Cloud had wondered if he was ever going to shut up, now he wished he'd been paying more attention. He wanted to know the man better, not just better than he knew him now, but better than everyone else knew him. He could imagine Leon's confused stare when he found out and it made his lips almost twitch upward. Almost. "I…like your stories." It was a hard thing to admit. Most of them were ridiculous—fighting real dragons with movie props, ending up hundreds of miles off course because you brought the wrong map…Laguna seemed to censor himself. He didn't tell Cloud the stories he most wanted to hear—the important parts, like why Leon never called him 'father' or 'dad', what his world was like and what his place was in it. It was only trivial nonsense that Laguna talked about—stupid stories about Raine hating peppers and how cute 'Elle' was. He talked about Winhill and killing monsters, how nice the flowers smelled in spring and how in the winter everything was blanketed over in white.

Laguna's smile changed from the usual goofy grin he wore to hide his pain to something more sad and nostalgic. It was such a subtle thing, but the man had such expressive eyes that Cloud found it impossible to miss.

"You're sweet," he said at last, but there was something final in his tone. He appreciated the gesture, but he still wasn't going to talk about it.

Even so, the words made Cloud turn his head away to hide the blush that instantly dashed across his cheeks.

_Sometimes we never see the warning  
And the voice in your head tells you not to go  
It really makes me wonder why some things happen when they do  
It really makes me wonder why it wasn't me instead of you_

"Come on, let's go back inside before you catch a cold," Laguna said, hand coming out to lightly nudge Cloud's arm and get him to climb back through the window. He didn't know why Cloud felt he had to stay by his side like this when he couldn't sleep, but it was the third time now. He played dumb, but he knew that Cloud wouldn't go inside until he did. He could be a ditz but he wasn't a moron: he chose not to think about it and thereby remain in denial that there might be something there.

Cloud, however, couldn't bring himself to deny it. He knew it was strange—this was Leon's father for crying out loud! And he wasn't at all the type he normally went for—he talked too much and he was quick to laugh and just as quick to cry. He was strong, but also there was something so vulnerable and weak about him. Cloud wanted to protect him and spoil him and that's a kind of feeling the blonde had never quite felt before. And speaking of feeling, there was a warm hand on his arm, and the puny balcony saw that they were standing very close.

Laguna blinked at the unreadable expression on the blonde's face as Cloud admired the way the older man looked in the moonlight. "Clou—" He was cut off by the younger man's lips crushing desperately against his own.

Cloud didn't normally consider himself impulsive. He definitely didn't consider himself daring—especially where matters of the heart were concerned, but he suddenly got this swell of emotion in his chest and couldn't stop himself. He felt like, right here, out on the balcony…if he didn't express his feelings to Laguna now he might never get another chance. He'd spent so much time losing people, they all had, and he'd spent so much time making the same mistakes over and over again. This time, for better or worse, Laguna was going to know how he felt. Having come to that decision in a split second, his body moved before his mind could second guess his decision and before he knew it he'd pulled Laguna tight against him and their lips were together as he thought 'please, _please_…just…kiss me back… There's something here. I'm sure of it! Between us…there's…something important.'

Laguna's eyes went wide for a long moment, shocked by the suddenness of the kiss and the raw emotion Cloud seemed to be importing directly to his brain through his lips. It was wrong. He shouldn't. But he couldn't deny that kind of need either and sighed against the blonde's mouth before returning the kiss much more gently, arms wrapping around Cloud's neck, blanket forgotten and left to pool around his ankles.

_And when you look its gone its too late to turn around  
And it's another day facing yourself and the things that you've done  
_

He didn't know how long they stayed like that before they finally parted, gasping for breath with kiss swollen lips, chips stained rose red, warm bodies having forgotten all about the chill night air. He also couldn't remember for the life of him what he'd been about to say when Cloud's mouth swallowed his words.

"Laguna…" Cloud said breathily. "Please?"

Laguna wasn't sure he was entirely clear on what the question was, but he knew 'no' was pretty impossible now.

Cloud climbed back in the window and helped Laguna inside after him. The blanket for the couch was left on the balcony, forgotten as Cloud gently tugged Laguna over toward the bed.

Laguna blushed as he realized the young man didn't plan to waste any time. "C-Cloud…I…"

Cloud stopped, turned, and waited for Laguna to finish. Under that intense gaze Laguna faltered and fidgeted, blushing and scratching the back of his neck a little. "I mean, y'know…I'm kind of…old."

Cloud sighed. So they were going there after all, huh? He cupped the man's cheek and forced him to meet his gaze. Laguna bit his lower lip to fight the pain as his leg cramped up. Damn it all to hell…

"I _like _you," Cloud enunciated the middle word so as to not be misunderstood.

"W-well," Laguna flustered. "I like you to but—"

Again Cloud cut off Laguna's words by claiming a deep kiss. He didn't want to hear 'buts'. And Laguna was thinking, any more kisses like that and his brain was just going to float away—unable to resist leaning into the blonde to deepen the kiss.

When they parted again Cloud said, "beyond that, nothing matters."

Laguna, as eloquent as ever, answered, "Huh?" He'd forgotten the previous conversation entirely again thanks to that kiss. Cloud decided he liked that it was so easy to silence the older man's uncertainties and soon deposited the brunette on the bed. "You haven't been sleeping well," he said.

Laguna's blush brightened. "I…well…uhm…"

This time, Cloud's lips did twitch very slightly upward for a moment. "Let's see if I can help you with that."

_And when you say  
It doesn't matter well it does  
And all it takes   
Is a mistake to eat your words  
So from now on I think I'll stay with you all night._

As Cloud's mouth descended on his again, Laguna wasn't entirely sure what that 'help' entailed, but he did know one thing: he didn't feel quite so lonely anymore.

The End

--

_A/N: Well, I did it! Another successful crack pairing. Haha. Seriously though, to those of you who've read and enjoyed 'Second Chances', 'Having Heart', and/or any of my other stories, thanks so much. To my reviewers, thank you 3x that amount. Right now, I'm going to turn my attention to a few other projects that really need my attention (primarily some original stories—__**if there are any editors out there who'd like to beta for me, see my profile for more information on what I'm currently looking for beta-readers for**__). So, there are no plans for more fanfiction in the immediate future. It doesn't mean I'm on hiatus like I was before (for something like 2-3 years!), but it does mean I want to focus my attention on other projects right now and don't have any new fanfiction in mind right at this moment. I'm sure I'll pop in with another crack pairing when you least expect it—there are a handful I want to try, but don't feel as if I MUST right at this exact moment, soo, we'll see what happens next._

_To Reviewers:_

_Leaf the Invisible: You nailed it darling. I'm glad you approve. I just simply couldn't resist._

_Kichi Hisaki: considering you get this far…hah! Yeah, he was an a, but he made up for it eventually and that's all that counts, right? _


End file.
